The Annals of Darkness: The Beginning
by Shire Folk
Summary: Part I. A normal life is first in the minds of Sora, Kairi, and Riku before they are thrust headfirst into another plot for Kingdom Hearts. Maleficent is back, and her nefarious plans could cost Sora his heart, in more ways than one. SXK RXN RiXYuf
1. Home

_For everyone who bothers to read it._

_Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic so if you want to flame me go right ahead! I won't object to your criticism. I'm already weird aren't I?_

_Anyway, this takes place during/after the ending of Kingdom Hearts 2. There will be some fluff, but I'm not used to writing fluff either._

_Go SORAXKAIRI!_

_Oh, right…disclaimer (Ahem) I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Final Fantasy, or anything else related to Kingdom Hearts._

_And a great thanks to Talitha Koum, whose first part of her first chapter of __**That's Why**__ I modeled this chapter off of._

* * *

**The Annals of Darkness**

**Part I: Beginning**

Chapter I: Home

Sora ignored the feeling of feathers around his throat and the weight of both an overlarge duck, and a giant dog-man, and despite the huge grin on his face, all he could think about was one thing.

_Get Off!_

He struggled to remove Donald's feathery hands from his throat and tried to get himself into a sitting position in order to look around. Keyword, tried. For at least ten seconds all he could see and feel were the salty waters of the ocean that Destiny Islands rested upon, as well as the hands and faces of his two animal friends. Needless to say that at their joy of seeing him, when they knocked him into the ocean they could have forgotten the need for him to breathe.

Sora finally freed himself from their combined weight and opted to get a glance at his surroundings as he sat up. Unfortunately, Donald and Goofy started to hug him and rub their faces against his the moment he was free from the water. Chuckling and giggling the whole while.

Not that he _minded_ of course.

He, Donald, and Goofy looked over to their right, to see Riku and King Mickey, having just separated from a hug, looking a little bashful. Sora looked back in front of him to see his longtime friend Kairi standing just out of the water's reach, smiling at him. She cocked her head slightly and her smile got a little wider revealing more perfectly white teeth as she giggled lightly. For some reason, Sora felt a few butterflies in his stomach.

_That was a little weird_ Sora thought. He almost began to wonder if fighting Heartless and the Organization for so long had made him weird. Before he began such a train of thought however, he looked into one of his back pockets and pulled out the good luck talisman made of thassala shells that he promised to give back to Kairi. There was a strange tingling sensation that was utterly foreign to him pulsing through his body as he looked fondly at the charm in his hand.

_Kairi…_

He looked back up at her to see her, still smiling ear to ear. Before he knew it, he felt a weird sensation inside him. It felt like…Roxas. Of course, he and Roxas were one and the same. Roxas was a part of him. Before the sensation ended, he directed his attention back to Kairi, but noticed something different. Instead of Kairi, Sora thought he saw someone that looked just like Kairi, except with blond hair and wearing a white dress.

_Naminé…_

He imagined he saw her for only a moment, but she and Kairi were the same as he and Roxas were. As the blond haired girl melted back into the auburn haired friend Sora knew, he became numb to everything around him. The merry-making, joy spreading animal friends, Riku's small smirk as he observed Sora and Kairi staring into each other's eyes, even the wet feeling of the water he was still sitting in. All he could see was Kairi, everything else was a blur, or maybe that was some of the seawater in his eyes.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his gloved hand, and looked back at Kairi, suddenly realizing as he tried to speak that his tongue was exponentially dry.

"We- we're back." He finally managed to splutter out. Kairi bent down and offered him a hand.

"You're home." Was all she said, still smiling sweetly. Sora grinned again, and clasped her hand in his, still holding the talisman. Kairi pulled him up and ended up wrapping him in a light hug as he fell into her while trying to steady himself. Sora felt his face growing hot and quickly turned away before she could see.

Kairi, though, had also begun to blush, and lightly pushed him as she turned to her right. This way Sora and the others wouldn't see her face. However Kairi's push, though light, was enough to send an already unstable keyblade master face first into the ocean. Again.

_Well, at least the water should cool down my face,_ Sora thought as everyone, including Kairi, looked over and started to laugh. Through the incredible distraction of laughing, Kairi managed to wrestle control of her facial features back. Sora flipped over onto his back, chuckling to himself. His sense of being no longer numb, he stood back up, making sure he was steady, and looked around.

A sense of torturous longing overtook him as he soaked in his surroundings. The wooden buildings he, Riku, and the others had constructed, the dock, the little islet with the Paupu tree, the vines that covered the secret place, they all rushed into him in a single moment. His eyes watered and a tear threatened to fall as he took everything in. He was home.

_Home…_ So many things meant home to him as they assailed his already besieged mind. His house, his boat, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, his other friends, the Ice Cream Parlor (he'd have to tell them about Sea-Salt Ice Cream), his skateboard, Riku, Kairi, his mom… Sora's eyes widened in shock and fear, giving sudden new meaning to the phrase 'Dry as a bone.'

_Oh Crap!_

"My mom is going to _kill _me!" he moaned. King Mickey laughed.

"Welp, we'd better get you guys home then, it is starting to darken out here." He said in his high-pitched, squeaky voice that can cause a person to laugh if they've never heard it before. Sora began to feel warm inside, just at the King's assurance, even if he still felt a little fear of what his mother would do to him when she found out that he had been swimming in his clothes.

"But, your majesty," Kairi began as she started looking over Sora and Riku, "we only have three boats, and Sora and Riku look as tired as the living dead. How are we going to get the six of us back to the main island?" Mickey pondered this for a minute or two, before he regained is highly cheerful disposition as he found a solution.

"Well princess, you and Sora can go in one boat, Riku and Goofy in another, and Donald and I will go in the last one." Mickey replied.

"Please, just call me Kairi." Kairi said in a slightly exasperated, slightly humored voice while she turned slightly pink at the cheeks. She still wasn't used to being a princess.

"Our boats are still here?" Sora questioned with a puzzled look on his worn face. "But we've been gone for…"

"A year." Riku finished with a chuckle. "Maybe so, Sora, but we carved those boats. They would last for quite a while."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sora stated. He was quickly recovering some of his vigor simply from being around his friends. Not that he was going to deny that he was dead-tired from fighting Xemnas and about a thousand Dusks. They began untying the boats, and each got into the arrangement King Mickey suggested.

"Don't worry Sora, I'll row us home." Kairi said in a comforting tone. Sora could barely mutter a thank you as his eyelids started to droop.

He couldn't remember how long it took to get back. Normally it would be about ten minutes, for either him or Kairi a year ago, but with the extra weight, and the fact that he was half-asleep, all Sora could say that was far darker when they hit the shore. He dimly noticed someone heaving him to his feet, and settling their shoulder into his armpit, while wrapping one arm around his shoulders. Said person began leading him away from the boat and the beach. Sora's curiosity took hold and he slowly raised his head to take a look around him.

He was in the left part of the middle of their group of travelers. He dimly registered that Riku was being lead by Goofy. This knowledge slowly took hold in his tired brain. _So if Goofy is with Riku, and the King and Donald are too short to be carrying me then that means that it's… _Sora flushed red, and desperately hoped that the darkness was enough to hide his red cheeks. Also praying to Zeus that the night was strong enough to smother the heat coming from the two broiling hot frying pans that were his cheeks.

"Easy there Sora." Kairi said as she caught him. Her sweet voice caressed his weary mind. In his weak state he finally noticed her perfume for the first time. It was a strangely sweet aroma, vanilla, honey and strawberries. In the darkening distance, Riku smirked.

_By Calypso she smells good._ Sora thought with the blush still going strong.

"C'mon," Kairi said as they reached the cobblestone road, "just one foot after the other Sora." He nodded. Her sweet voice and intoxicatingly wonderful fragrance gave him the strength he needed to keep going. He began to fear that he would go numb again. After what seemed like an eternity, Kairi led them up to Sora's front walk.

"This your house Sora?" quacked Donald, looking up at the split-level. Sora rolled his head to look up at his home. He had to fight back tears again. He looked at the peach paint, the lantern front lights, and the screen door. _Has it really been this long?_ he thought.

"Yep," he said, still holding the reservoir in his eyes back. Goofy hu-yucked as he made his way to the door.

"C'mon Donald. Let's see if Sora's mother's home." He chortled. Donald suddenly rounded on Sora who was still being supported by the heavenly figure of Kairi.

"Wak!" Donald cried, "In all our time traveling, you never mentioned a word to me about your mother." The duck was so flabbergasted you Sora and Kairi could barely make out a word he said.

"Uh, sorry Donald, I guess I forgot," Sora said apologetically to Donald, with a small nervous grin on his face. Kairi giggled.

"Hurry up Donald. I wonder if there are pictures of Sora as a little kid in the front hallway," Goofy called, being completely oblivious to the magician's frustration, already one hand on the screen door's handle. "Hey it's unlocked," he said aloud as he opened it. Sora's eyes widened once more in fear, again forgetting everything about tears.

"Hey I want to see those too. Maybe I can use them in the journal," Jiminy Cricket said as he made his appearance, leaping out of Sora's pocket and bounced his way into the house after Donald and Goofy.

"Oh no," he said quietly to Kairi as she led him into his house. She gave him an inquisitive look. "Now I'm going to be embarrassed by my friends again. And this time it won't be because I'm clumsy." They both giggled a little as they stepped into the house.

Sora inhaled a deep breath through his nose as he looked around. The house smelled the same. _Home,_ Sora thought, _I'm finally home._ The sensation lasted for at least a minute as Sora looked around the hallway. He could see the dark outline of the kitchen counter at the end of his line of sight. The familiar clock on the microwave read 19:45. _Wow,_ Sora thought, _it's 7:45 and I'm not even hungry. I'm sure we arrived back at six at the latest!_ He continued soaking in his surroundings with his internal ocean of tears once again threatening to burst the dykes. There were the pictures taken of him when he was growing up hanging on the wall (All of which being thoroughly examined by Goofy and Jiminy), there was a bouquet of marigolds on the table, he could hear the coo-coo clock ticking on the wall. He chuckled to himself as it reminded him of the clock in the crocodile that ate Captain Hook's left hand. Just the sight of everything that had so long ago seemed as trivial and routine brought back memories. Memories like him sitting on the table at five with tears in his eyes, his mother wrapping a bandage on his scraped knee and kissing it better. Coming home from school at seven with Riku and Kairi, to find his mother in the living room with an apron on while an apple pie cooled on the table. All the good memories came flooding back into his consciousness mind.

_You sure had a good childhood didn't you?_ A voice said in the back of his head. Sora frowned slightly.

_Is that you Roxas? _Sora thought.

_Yep._

_Good,_ Sora thought back with a smile on his face, _I wanted to make sure it wasn't some random freeloader._

_Ha, ha._

"Good to be home?" Kairi asked as she released him.

"Yeah." Sora replied, taking a step forward by himself. Donald quickly saw that Sora could now walk on his own and nudged Goofy, being careful not to upset Jiminy who was precariously perched on Goofy's hat.

"Okay, now let's go find Sora's mother," he quacked, a grin on his face. Donald cupped his, well, wings to his beak and began calling, "Oh Mrs. Sora. We have a surprise for you."

"Mrs. Sora," Goofy began calling as he wandered into the living room's doorway. "You're son's ho-". He never finished his sentence, as a very large and very familiar prying pan hit him in the face. Goofy backed out of the living room doorway, holding his nose. "Gawrsh, that hurts," he mumbled.

"Who are you?" questioned a strained, yet beautiful, motherly voice. At least to Sora it was beautiful and motherly. To everyone else besides Kairi it was a little harsh. Out of the shadows wielding a large cast iron frying pan stepped Sora's mother. She stood around five foot nine, had shoulder-length chocolate hair that was wrapped up in a towel. She was wearing a clean white nightgown that went down to just above her ankles. She would have been angelic to Sora if it weren't for the frying pan and angry face. She continued her interrogation of Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy, "What do you want?" she ordered. "I can have you arrested. This is pri-" Sora cut her off before she could finish.

"Mom?" he asked, with a quiver in his voice.

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_Just a note, I am re-submitting every chapter as I have made a name change to the whole story and am going through the earlier chapters to modify and edit them somewhat as my skill with a quill has increased._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	2. Storytelling

_For anyone who found themselves compelled to continue._

_Thanks to my reviewers __**kingdomfantasyanime453Tori the Twilight Keybearer, Nanah-chan, leadfoot352, Manco, and lil' Gingergirl. **__I personally guarantee more chapters, and I'll likely get more reviews, as soon as gets their e-mail system working again. If you're wondering how I'll fit Yuffie in, just wait and see._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except for the merchandise._

"Blah" dialogue

_Blah_ thoughts

_Blah_ Roxas/Naminé telepathy

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**The Beginning**

Chapter II: Storytelling

"Mom?" Sora asked, with a quiver in his voice.

"Sora, is that you?" his mother asked with new tears suddenly forming in her eyes, all previous aggression forgotten. "Is it really you?"

For the first time that day, Sora finally let the tears fall.

"Yes mom, it's me." He said, his voice cracking. "I'm home." Sora's mother was overcome by a wave of emotion as she let her own pearly tears fall. They both rushed at each other and cried in each other's arms. So happy were they to be reunited again.

"Oh, Sora," his mother stated in a quiet voice, "my baby's home. I missed you so much." Sora sniffed.

"I missed you too mom." He managed to say through his dry throat.

His mother tensed unexpectedly as she let him go, and the previous happiness she had radiated was suddenly gone. Replaced by a wave of motherly anger and worry she fixed her son with a very stern glare. Sora quailed in her sight before she let loose the storm of questions he knew she would ask. Suddenly he felt that he would rather face Sephiroth and Xemnas combined one-on-two right now than face his mother.

_You're on your own man,_ chuckled the voice in the back of his head.

_Shut up Roxas!_

"Where have you been?" his mother let loose. "Where were you? What have you been doing? Who are these… these… animals?" She politely screamed at him. Sora and Kairi sighed while Donald let out a 'Wak!' of indignation of being referred to as simply an animal. Glad though he was about being home, he was just too tired to tell stories tonight. _There will be plenty of time tomorrow. _He thought. _Besides, Kairi probably needs to get home; her dad will have a fit too._

Sora took a deep breath, "I'm too tired right now mom, can we do all this in the morning? Kairi kind of needs to get back home too y'know." He turned his head and gave Kairi a small smile while yawning the whole way for effect. Kairi smiled too, but placed her hands on her hips and looked back at him with a look that plainly said 'You're just using me so you don't have to face your mother.'

"Oh good evening Kairi. I didn't see you there." Sora's mother turned to her and gave a brief smile. Kairi nervously returned it with a small wave of her hand.

"Hello Sora's mom," she said anxiously.

"Please Kairi, call me Anne." She said while shaking her head. "Anyway, before you go to bed Sora, and before you leave Kairi, could you at least tell me who these um… people are."

_Well, I owe my mom at least this much right now, _Sora thought. He was about to begin when Donald rudely interrupted him.

"Well," he began still miffed about being called an animal, "I'm Donald Duck, royal court magician to King Mickey. This is Goofy, captain of the King's Royal Knights, and this is Jiminy Cricket, appointed Royal Chronicler who traveled with us." Goofy gave a wave while Jiminy hopped into Anne's outstretched palm and lifted his top hat. Anne giggled and shook his tiny hand.

"Nice to meet you all, sorry about the frying pan uh, Goofy." Anne said apologetically to Goofy.

"Hu-yuck, don't worry Anne, I get bumped on the head all the time." Goofy said. "Hey I wonder where the King and Riku have gone." Sora's eyes grew wide, _Huh?_ Sora thought as he looked around. True to Goofy's word, there was no Riku or King Mickey anywhere. He simply shrugged. _They're probably at Riku's._

"Well, I'm tired, Goofy you escort Kairi home, I'm pretty sure her dad will jump down her throat for being home so late without a good excuse." Sora ordered. His mother was a little surprised at the changes that had taken place in her son. He was more thoughtful, forceful, caring, and much more. He was also taller and stouter, with more muscle on his scrawny arms than before. She wondered if he would fit into any of his old clothes.

"Sure thing Sora. C'mon Kairi." Goofy called.

"Alright Goofy. 'Night Sora." Kairi said as she left. Sora smiled and struggled to stifle a yawn.

"Goodnight Kairi," he said softly as the lightest pink crept into his cheeks. As Sora watched her go, and lost the scent of her perfume to the night he was suddenly wishing that she would never leave. _What was that about? _He thought, as he turned upstairs, entered his room, changed into his now snug pajamas, and instantly fell asleep.

His mother watched him go with a slight smirk on her face. _They're going to figure it out sooner or later,_ she thought. Her attention was then redirected to the two figures still in the room that were looking around for someplace they could sleep.

"Um, Donald right, there's a sofa in the living room that would suit you just nicely I think. I'll bring down some blankets and a couple more pillows if you like?" She asked this nervously, not knowing how the duck, who she now knew was a magician, would react. Donald however, acted as if she had just offered him a four-poster bed fit for the King!

He bowed low and praised her, "Thank you Sora's mother." Without further ado, he rushed off to the couch in the living room, plopped down on it, and instantly fell asleep, snuggled against the pillow. Anne laughed nervously before turning to Jiminy.

"Oh, don't worry about me Anne," he said with a giant smile on his face, "I'll just sleep on a pillow. Goodnight." He quickly bounded away, grabbed a pillow from the couch, lied down, and closed his eyes.

_My son sure has weird friends,_ she thought as she too headed upstairs for some shuteye, _and tomorrow's going to be a long day._

* * *

Sora awoke the next morning at a time he normally wouldn't have even considered for the summer. Leaping up from his bed in a great bound, he majestically and heroically charged down the stairs, slid in his sock feet across the hardwood maple floor of their kitchen, placed his two hands on the back of his chair, swung one leg across, and promptly plopped into it with a thump before he even registered what was around him.

Donald was sitting at the table, a pancake in his bill, with only a couple left on his plate. His mother was her chair drinking a cup of coffee, and Jiminy was eating a piece of toast. Sora smiled as he looked down at his plate, three slices of bacon, two moderately sized pancakes with whipped cream on top, and two scrambled eggs. He swiftly devoured his breakfast, a sudden ravenous hunger engulfing him. As Sora drained his glass of orange juice, his mother addressed him for the first time this morning.

"If I'd known that you were this hungry, I would have made saved another pancake from Donald," she chuckled, shaking her head. Then her voice changed into a tone more appropriate for an interrogation. "Now, I was so excited that you were home, I woke up early and washed your clothes so you won't have to stay in your pajamas while you and your friends explain where you were to all of us."

Sora gulped as he saw the small smile she wore slip away while saying each word. He knew that this would come, but he still wouldn't like explaining everything to his mother. Yet, he had a curious expression on his face. _What did she mean by_ _all of us_?

She saw his face and answered his unspoken question. "By all of us," she began, "I mean me, Kairi's father, and Riku's parents." Sora's face paled as he began thinking of what Kairi's dad might do to him when they told them of the special connection he and Kairi shared.

_It's all in your head._ Roxas said in his mind. _He'll be happy for the two of you._ Sora was too distraught thinking of every evil thing that could happen to even pay attention to Roxas.

Anne though, was oblivious to her son's internal conflict or the alter ego that inhabited him, simply because, she had no knowledge of anything that had previously happened. Donald and Jiminy didn't pay the slightest attention to either of them, still consuming their breakfast.

"You'd better go upstairs and change." She said with a brisk tone in her voice. "Kairi, Riku, Goofy, and someone called 'The King' will be arriving in about ten minutes." Sora slowly rose from his chair, and gloomily marched upstairs to change. Before he got out of earshot of the kitchen however, he heard Donald praise his mother's cooking and ask what they were doing next.

He entered his messy bedroom and saw his black outfit that he wore neatly folded on his chair. As he changed into the familiar Sora we all know and love he started to change his outlook on the whole Kairi's father situation. _Maybe, _he thought, _maybe he will be so engrossed in the story and so intrigued by the other worlds that he won't harass Kairi and me… _

_That's the attitude I wanted to hear._ Roxas comfortingly said in his mind. Sora smirked at his Nobody's remark. _Thanks Roxas._

Five minutes later Sora calmly walked down the stairs. Ready to face all the angry parents the universe could throw at him. Then just as he was about to step into the Living Room, with his mother already on the couched dressed in a red t-shirt and tan pair of shorts, the doorbell rang.

All sense of self-confidence vanished from Sora.

"I'll get it," he duly declared as he heavily stepped towards the door. He took a long look at it before he opened the wooden door behind the screen. It was mahogany, intricately carved with a beach, ocean, and palm trees in the center, with a brass doorknob on the left side. Sora sighed as he pulled the door open.

He could smell her perfume before he even saw her. Vanilla, with honey and strawberries, it was the most wonderful smell he had ever encountered in the morning before. There stood Kairi behind her father; he looked gruffer than Sora had previously remembered, with a protruding chin, black stubble, and huge blonde bangs. He was frowning and staring at Sora as if he were a measly, little, annoying bug. Sora could dimly see Kairi giving him a weak smile, but his eyes were filled with fear and were frozen instead on Kairi's father.

"Well, out with it boy." He demanded. "Where were you and my daughter? She won't tell me anything, and neither will this oversized dog!" Sora just noticed that Kairi's smile had vanished and she too was looking at her father with fear. Sora felt too tongue-tied to answer and instead screwed his face into what he hoped was an apologetic one and opened the screen door for them. In marched Kairi's father, with a look of resentment in his eyes as Sora quailed before them. Before he could do anything to Sora, Anne called to him from the living room.

"In here Seymour. They'll explain everything in here."

_Strange, you will face down Hades, the Lord of the Dead with no fear, yet you cower before your best friends father?_

_Be quiet Roxas, this is hard enough as it is._ Sora feebly answered back in his mind. His anxiety kept him from focusing. He had enough consciousness around him to register that Kairi stayed in the hall with him, as Goofy, Riku, the King, and Riku's parents, strange, I didn't know they were there too, all walked past him to find seats in the living room. Kairi placed an arm around his shoulders and he felt a blush creep onto his cheeks as warmth and feeling returned to his body. He inhaled a deep breath and looked her in the eyes, taking strength and comfort from her perfume and presence. Her cerulean eyes radiated comfort and strength and he could see a blush on her cheeks too.

"C'mon," she said quietly, him hanging onto her every word, "we can get through this." Kairi removed her arm from him and turned towards the living room. Sora followed her, but before they entered he quietly muttered,

"Thanks, Kairi."

She stifled a small giggle as they entered the living room.

Sora's living room was a perfect square. A little back from the center, towards the kitchen it had a cream coloured couch half facing the large window that displayed Anne's flower gardens, and half facing the TV. There was also a brown coffee table in front of said couch, a standing lamp behind an armchair in one corner, and several beanbags of different colours in front of the TV. On the couch, sat Anne, Seymour, and Riku's parents. His father looked like an older version of Riku, except with brown hair, while his mother was the person who Riku had gotten his hair colour from, her silver bangs wafting down the sides of her fair face, still not showing many tell-tale signs of middle-age through her green eyes. King Mickey sat in the armchair, looking quite comfortable; while on three of the five beanbags sat Donald and Goofy (both looking a little nervous), and Riku who was pointedly looking at Sora and Kairi, barely concealing a grin. Jiminy Cricket was on the floor in front of the beanbags with his journal in front of him. It was separated into several different volumes. Volume 1 was brown and contained the chronicles of their adventure. Volume 2 was silver and within it was the scrapbook, including the Heartless, Nobodies, and People they had met. Volume 3 was red and contained the Secret Ansem Reports, and Volume 4, which was blue, contained all the remaining miscellaneous data including the Limits. King Mickey noticed their entrance and signaled them to sit in the two remaining beanbags. Sora sighed and shook his head as he and Kairi sat down.

"Now then," Mickey began, much to the parent's anxiety. "I believe we should start at the beginning, with Sora, Kairi, and Riku here two summers ago, before all this started." Sora looked up and saw their parents nodding in agreement. Even Donald and Goofy looked at each other, as they had only heard the story once. King Mickey then looked expectantly at the trio. "Well?" he asked. Riku sighed, it was clear to him that he should be the one to start.

"Well," he began, it all started when I got it into my head to build a raft…"

The three told them practically everything about what happened before Sora awoke in Traverse Town. About Sora's dream, the raft, Riku's desire to see other worlds, the Door, Mysterious Man, everything except for Sora's drawing and Kairi joking about both her and Sora taking the raft together. At first, while Donald, Goofy, and Mickey were fascinated and listening attentively, the parents were only mildly interested, while Seymour glared at Sora with narrowed eyes. Their attention however was captured when Sora began explaining about the Mysterious Man in the brown cloak, who coincidentally turned out to be Xeahnort's Heartless (but they weren't about to tell their parents that yet). They pressed Sora and he told them all he could remember. Sora then told them about when he came back to the island during the storm the Heartless had appeared, and about Riku opening his heart to the darkness. He told them of the island's destruction, the Keyblade's appearance, and fighting the Darkside.

It was here that the four parents in the room were completely enthralled in the story, as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy gave them a retelling of their first journey, with many needed explanations on Heartless, and side comments from Riku and the King, until they finally got to the part with Ansem's defeat, the reformation of the islands, and leaving Kairi behind so Sora and the others could search for Riku and the King. By the end Kairi and Anne were beaming at Sora with admiration and pride, Seymour simply huffed.

"And then the last thing I remember before waking up," Sora stated foolishly with a puzzled look on his face, "is a big brown castle with copper roofs. I have no idea what it is." He said apologetically. He looked at Donald and Goofy, neither of them seemed to know what that place was either. Riku however, showed sudden interest.

"That's Castle Oblivion," he explained, looking directly at Sora. "The Organization was doing experiments on memory there, I had to fight my way through it while we were separated. Though I wonder what you were doing there…" he left his sentence hanging, half hoping that Sora would finish it. Sora simply looked down and shook his head, being at a loss for words. Suddenly a voice spoke from behind Kairi.

"I think I can answer that." Sora, Kairi, and Riku's heads whipped around to see a spectral image of Naminé, white dress and all, standing behind Kairi's beanbag, Kairi smiled.

"So," she began, "you can come out of my head too?" She then turned her head to look at Sora. "Sora, does Roxas make comments in the back of your mind?" Sora smiled and replied.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "can't get rid of him."

_Oh thanks!_

"Yes," Naminé replied at Kairi's previous question, before looking at Sora and nodding her head, "and Roxas should be able to too." Sora frowned. Can you Roxas?

_Here goes nothing__,_ came the reply from the now familiar voice in his head. Slowly, Roxas faded in also being a transparent figure, standing next to Naminé. They looked at each other and grinned, before they embraced, joyously expressing how great it was to be in the "physical" world. Sora cleared his throat, breaking up the two Nobodies from their hug.

"So," he began with a small smirk on his face, "what were you saying about knowing why we were in Castle Oblivion and what happened to us?"

"Uh, Sora?" King Mickey hesitantly asked. Sora half-looked over his shoulder.

"Yes your Majesty?" he said. Before the King could start, Donald interrupted.

"Who are you three talking to?" he quacked. The three teens and the Nobodies then realized that everyone else in the room had looks of anxiety, concern, and worry on their faces while looking at the only teenagers in the room that they could see. Sora and Kairi paled. Sora glanced at Roxas, who was pulling a face at Donald. _Um… Roxas_, he began, desperately hoping that his Nobody and he could still communicate silently. When Roxas stopped turned to face Sora, confirming his suspicions, he continued, _please tell me you and Naminé can make yourselves visible to everyone else too_. Roxas was perplexed; he mulled it over for a few seconds and turned to Naminé.

"Well, can we?"

"We won't know until we try." Sora was stunned. He started to sweat bullets. _Can Naminé hear my thoughts too?_ She giggled, seeing the standard confused look on his face. "Yes Sora, while we're out here, I can hear your thoughts, and Roxas can hear Kairi's." Roxas turned to her, and they both nodded. The two Nobodies closed their eyes, and began to concentrate.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku could notice nothing different. They could tell that it worked though by the sudden looks of pure terror on their parent's faces.

"There are ghosts in my house!" Anne started shrieking. Riku's mother fainted, his father nearly threw up, while Kairi's father could barely ask the one question the four of them were terrified of asking.

"Who- who- who are- are you?" he finally managed to squeak out. Naminé placed her hand over her "heart".

"My name is Naminé…" she began. Roxas pumped his fist.

"And I'm Roxas." He finished. They both bowed before their "parents".

Sora let out a sigh of relief, wiped his brow and glanced at Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and the King. None of who were truly surprised. Time to figure this out. He thought. Roxas and Naminé turned to him.

"So," he began again, "about Castle Oblivion Naminé." She put her finger to her chin.

"Oh yes! Well, as Riku stated before, Castle Oblivion is where the Organization was doing experiments on memory…"

Naminé explained about the white rooms, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy losing their memories, Sora's memory manipulation, Organization XIII's experiments with Sora, as well as Sora's confrontation with their members, up till his eventual falling asleep, all the while not explaining about what the Organization was, much to the frustration of Seymour.

"But what is the Organization?" he demanded angrily of Naminé. Roxas stepped in front of Naminé and held out his arms in a protective stance. Kairi's face held a little rage at her father's impatience.

"Be quiet Dad!" she ordered. "We'll tell you about them soon." Sora was shocked and looked at Kairi with wonder, but then again, Naminé was half of her, and he would be angry too if someone started harassing Roxas, unless he was the one doing the harassing! Seymour was quite taken back at his daughter yelling at him. He was so shocked and angry, and a hundred different emotions to discern between surprised and hostile, that he could only open and close his mouth like a goldfish while his face flittered between the conflicting emotions, each striving for supremacy.

"All I know is…" Sora started, before throwing his head up in vain and crying to the heavens, "I hate the Organization even more now! I'm glad they're all gone." He stated that last bit so quietly, only Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas could hear him. Roxas feigned hurt.

"Hey what am I, chopped liver?" he whispered to them with mock tears in his eyes. They all chuckled or giggled as the gender might be. Taking no notice of the scene that just passed, Riku's father then spoke up in Seymour's obvious incapacitation.

"Well then Kairi…" he said in his deep husky voice. Kairi, and Riku turned to Sora, having come to realize that this was really Sora's story, and they would relate theirs as he told his tale. Given that they would make sense with enough background information.

Sora looked at Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy. Jiminy smiled and nodded at him. "Well," Sora began, "we woke up after being asleep for about a year…

So they began with waking up in Twilight Town, and their first confrontation with the Nobodies, and a quick visit from the King before visiting Yen Sid, who explained to them about Nobodies.

"So," Seymour began, as he was the most curious about the Nobodies and the Organization, "Nobodies are in essence, beings that have lost their hearts."

"Yes." said the King. "Heartless isn't truly the correct term, as a heartless is simply the heart surrounded by the darkness that it yielded to. A Nobody is the body and soul of the entity left behind." Sora's mother's eyes began to water with tears.

"So does that mean," she quietly cried out, "that when my Sora became a heartless, a Nobody was created to?" Sora looked down, somewhat glumly, somewhat happy. After all, Roxas and Naminé were two new friends and additions to the party, right?

"Yes." He stated, looking his mother in the eyes. "And guess who they are." Roxas and Naminé smiled and waved.

"Wait." Seymour uttered, clearly confused, "Hold up, shouldn't only one Nobody have been created when you became a heartless boy?"

"Well, that should have happened," Jiminy explained, "but when Sora attacked himself with Riku's Keyblade of Captive Hearts, he didn't only release his heart, but Kairi's as well. In a way, Naminé and Roxas both used Sora's body to attain their own versions of their counterpart's bodies. As Kairi is a princess of heart, she has no darkness in it, so cannot turn into a heartless, which is why in our first journey she appeared so lifeless, her body couldn't just disappear."

"Okay, that makes sense." Sora said while scratching his head. Kairi and the others laughed.

"Anyway," Sora continued, "we left Yen Sid's chamber and met Flaura, Fauna, and Merryweather, three good fairies, who made my new outfit with magic."

"We then went back to Master Yen Sid learned that because we locked the Keyhole to Darkness, the worlds had returned the barriers that previously kept them secret, but Yen Sid told us that the worlds had prepared new pathways, and that Sora's keyblade could unlock them. We then took the Gummi ship to Holler Bastion, where we met up with Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, and Merlin," Goofy continued, "They told us that they had all suddenly remembered us a while back, right before they made us Holler Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Members. Hu-yuck! It must have been when Naminé was bordering all of your memories Sora." Donald shook his head.

"Ordering you big palooka!" He angrily quacked at Goofy, Goofy hu-yucked again.

"Right, ordering."

The tale then proceeded on until their return to Twilight Town.

"When we arrived back at Twilight Town," Sora began, his voice downcast, "Seifer and his gang were under attack by Nobodies. After we beat them, Saïx," he spat out the name as if it were a poison, "Organization XIII's number VII, appeared, and appeared as if he wanted to help us. He said that even though he didn't have a heart, he knew all too well how to injure one. He told us to be careful or else I might end up like Riku." Sora sighed, before a look of pure helplessness engulfed him, "If only I'd have killed him then…" Kairi sympathetically gazed at Sora, and placed a comforting arm on his shoulders, while Riku seemed lost in his own thoughts. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey simply looked sadly at Sora.

"I didn't like elfie much." Roxas huffed. This apparently sudden noise caused Sora to look up, smile at Kairi, and turn his head with her to look at Roxas while she released him before a blush could gain a noticeable foothold on the plains of his cheeks. Naminé raised an eyebrow and gave Roxas an inquiring look.

"Elfie?" She asked, with her hands on her hips.

"Well, he had pointy ears." Roxas protested, waving his hands in front of him. Everyone laughed. _What's happening to me?_ Sora quietly asked himself. Roxas and Naminé glanced at each other with small smirks etched on their faces.

"Anyway, after that," Jiminy continued, "Seifer told us to leave, and gave us his trophy to say that we were the strong-"

"Wait!" Riku's mother cried, "What did Saïx mean, "end up like Riku"?"

"I'll tell you later mom." Riku said quickly before turning his attention back to Jiminy. Jiminy scratched his head.

"Where was I, oh yes! Seifer gave us a trophy proclaiming is as the strongest guys in Twilight Town. As he and his crew left the sandlot, Pence ran in and asked if we knew anyone by the name of Kairi." Kairi then uttered a small 'oh!' and had a look of understanding on her face.

"Then this is after Axel kidnapped me!" she exclaimed. Sora leaned in, interested. Before he could say anything, Seymour snapped out of his incapacitation.

"Who kidnapped my daughter? I am the mayor! I will have him hunted down and arrested!" He proclaimed with a vengeance.

"What?" Riku asked. "You mean you didn't even notice that your daughter went missing?" Seymore glared at him but also brought his hand thoughtfully to his chin.

"Mom probably did," Kairi muttered to herself, looking down. She brought her head up and looked half-heartedly at her father, not knowing to tell him the truth or not. Before she could will herself to a decision, Sora spoke up.

"How did he do it Kairi?" he asked, his voice dripping with emotion. "How did he take you?" She looked into his eyes, gaining strength from his voice, stronger and more caring than the voice she remembered from so long ago.

"He didn't take me exactly," she began, speaking more to Sora than everyone else, "after school was out, and I had sent my poem in the bottle, he appeared on the beach one day in a portal of darkness and offered to take me to you." She laughed a little, "As another portal appeared, Pluto ran out of it. Axel surrounded me with Nobodies, thinking that a show of force would tempt me into coming with him. I ran into the other portal with Pluto, telling him that he wasn't acting very friendly." While Sora, Kairi and the others sat in silence for a minute, Roxas was pondering Axel, his best friend's, behavior.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, having reached his 'eureka' moment. "Axel might have really wanted to take you to Sora, Kairi, because he wanted to see me again. He wasn't acting very friendly because with my absence, he must have forgotten how to be friendly."

Riku's father seemed puzzled. "But, why would he want to see you, Roxas?" The transparent youth looked at him.

"I was a member of Organization XIII." He said. "Number XIII, Roxas, the Key of Destiny, that was my name. Axel and I were best friends."

Sora broke eye contact with Kairi and looked sympathetically at Roxas, "He told me once that you made him feel like he had a heart." Roxas looked with wonder at Sora.

"He said that?" Roxas asked, barely above a whisper. "I had no idea that someone would actually miss me…" he left his sentence hanging as silence filled the air.

Donald decided that they had deviated enough again. "Anyway," he began, drawing everyone's attention to him, "Pence told us to come to the station, where we found Hayner and Olette. They told us Kairi had come out of a portal of darkness in the wall, and that Kairi was looking for Sora." Goofy hu-yucked.

"Olette said that Sora and Kairi's story was romantic." He said while covering his mouth. The two aforementioned teens blushed and quickly looked in opposite directions to conceal their cherry-red faces.

Roxas grinned. "That's Olette," he said, before a somber expression claimed his visage. Naminé placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. Roxas looked at her and shook her head.

"No, don't apologize. You did what you had to." He simply stated. Again, the duck became frustrated that they had gotten off track again. Before he could begin, Jiminy spoke up.

"Sora became disheartened after they told us that Kairi was kidnapped by Axel. Before he could dwell on it, one of the crystals from Seifer's trophy began reacting, and we were back on our way to Hollow Bastion…"

Jiminy told them about finding Ansem's computer, and about the first trip to Space Paranoids. Then all four of them suddenly burst into collective hysterics about seeing the King again, even if it was just for a minute. Mickey just sighed and shook his head as Riku laughed. Sora finished the first tale in Space Paranoids before King Mickey began to explain about how "Ansem", who had already been defeated, was not really Ansem, but an imposter's heartless, and that that imposter's Nobody was the leader of Organization XIII. Seymour looked confuzzled, but didn't voice any questions yet. Anne and the others simply listened with acceptance. Sora and the others then explained that Maleficent had unleashed an army of thousands of Heartless against Hollow Bastion, and while they were about to help their friends who were caught up in the fray, Sora fought and defeated Demyx.

"Water boy?" asked Roxas, "He was funny." Sora nodded.

"He was a kook." Sora simply said. Such a comment earned a few laughs. "Anyway, after that, you, your Majesty, came up behind us and, instead of punishing us for not following orders, allowed us to fight and help our friends. Just then, an explosion sounded and a boulder came off of a cliff and was headed right for the King. Goofy pushed him out of the way and took the blow." Sora's eyes were shining with tears, some of sorrow, some of happiness. "We thought you were dead," he said looking at Goofy. Goofy chuckled.

"Gawrsh, I thought I told you guys that I get bumped on the head all the time." Everyone laughed. Sora wiped his eyes.

"Anyway," he continued, "we left Goofy for dead, and fought our way across the cliffs, with help from our friends, to a fissure in the rock full of crystals where I found another torn page, and Goofy then came walking up to us! We then and entered the Great Maw, where the Heartless army stood as if frozen in time. The Organization's leader appeared on the cliffs above, and the King realized who he was." Sora then turned to look at the King, who nodded.

"I realized that I had met him before. Ansem the Wise had had several apprentices when he was researching the darkness in people's hearts. One of them was a man by the name of Xehanort, and he was Ansem's top apprentice. When the Organization's leader removed his hood, I knew then that it was Xehanort's Nobody. I rushed after him, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy were encircled by the Heartless."

Sora began to emit signs of severe depression, and quickly stood up, and wearily made his way out of the living room, up the stairs, and into his room. Everyone's eyes followed him, but Kairi's held the largest amount of concern.

"I'm going to see if he's okay," she said, and followed his path up to his room. Still in the living room, Seymour was about to have a fit.

"I won't stand it if that boy does anything to my daughter while they're up there!" he exclaimed like a bull. Riku turned his head, and calmly looked at him.

"Don't worry," he said, "they're still figuring it out." Seymour's expression was still stony, but he looked up the stairs.

"Oh, well," sighed Donald, "we can finish the story without him."

* * *

Sora sat on his bed with his back resting against the wall. He had his head in one hand. _Why does that one memory still pain me?_ he asked himself. _Am I just weak or…_

He smelled her before he even saw her standing in the doorway. Vanilla, with honey and strawberries. He half-smiled. _Kairi._ He thought, he knew. The memory still pained him because the one person he cherished more than anything else in the entire universe was completely denied to him after a false hope had been placed in his heart. Sora could barely tell that she had come closer and sat down beside him.

She placed a hand on his shoulder as she looked at him with pity. _It must have been hard,_ she thought, _having everyone he cared about always being taken away from him._ She shook him slightly.

"Hey," she asked in her sweet voice, "you okay?"

Sora sighed as he released his answer. "Yeah," he said, "that one memory is just too painful right now." Kairi looked at him with wonder. _After all he's been through_, she realized, _he still feels the pain._ She gave him a comforting look.

"Well," she said, "if you're not ready to tell about it, then I won't press you for it." Sora didn't look up, but he still heard her. That was one of the reasons he liked her. She was so understanding, and kind, and caring. Sora drew strength just from her presence. After what could have been an eternity he finally looked up.

"Kairi," he said, smiling at her, "thank you." She smiled back, revealing her pearly whites.

"You're welcome," She said. "So," she began again, now that Sora was feeling better, "apart from that memory, would you be able to tell me the rest of the story?"

"Sure."

Sora told Kairi all that he remembered, including his thoughts and feelings this time. He left out the bit when he envisioned dancing with her in Halloween Town, but apart from that things were kept to the truth. When he finally finished telling her about the battle with Xemnas and the door to light he pulled a silver coloured book out of his jacket.

"Want to see pictures?" he asked. Kairi's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Where did this come from?" she interrogated Sora as she grabbed it from him. Sora grinned.

"I swiped it from Jiminy when he wasn't looking." He explained. "He must be turning the house upside down looking for it." Sora laughed at his own statement.

Kairi gave a small giggle. She had just turned the page to see the pictures from the Pride Lands. "Aww…" she said, "you make a cute lion Sora." He looked at the picture and blushed before looking at Kairi.

"I bet," he joked, "that you'd make a cute lioness too Kairi." She playfully slapped his arm, but they couldn't help having their eyes meet.

Unnoticed, Riku at the door smirked, before breaking them up saying that supper was ready. As he walked back down the stairs to rejoin the group, he wondered, _I wonder if I'll find someone like that?_

* * *

_I'm pretty sure you can all understand the concepts I explained in there. I'm thinking of doing weekly updates because I have a twin sister who's a Tetris freak, and I'm a cadet so… Anyway, please review._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You.**_

_Shire Folk_


	3. Banned

_For all those who actually want to continue._

_Well, you've got me convinced; I'm going to keep going. Thanks to the reviewers._

_Quick note, I am paraphrasing/rewriting the final cutscene in KH2 minus Sunset Horizons. Now on with the disclaimer._

_(Disclaimer): I in no shape or form, am a whole company, therefore, I cannot own Kingdom Hearts. _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter III: Banned

Dinner was an exciting affair that night. Anne's house had never been so full. It was so full that she made Seymour and Goofy lug a table up from the basement, have Riku's parent's help her cook, gotten Riku to silently keep an eye on Sora and Kairi while bringing up more chairs, and convinced Donald, King Mickey, Roxas, and Naminé (who couldn't really do anything being transparent) to try to calm down Jiminy Cricket, who was attempting to turn the whole house inside out looking for the scrapbook.

"I don't know where it could have gone," Jiminy was saying as Sora and Kairi came down the stairs. "I only took my eyes off of it for a second." Sora looked both slightly guilty, but highly amused as he watched the Royal Chronicler do his nut. He looked over at Kairi and the two of them sighed.

"Jiminy," called Sora, as he pulled the scrapbook out of his jacket again. "I have your scrapbook. I was showing it to Kairi upstairs." Jiminy bounded over to Sora, promptly snatched it back from him, and began inspecting it to make sure there was no damage. Sora chuckled nervously and rubbed his head.

His inspection completed, Jiminy looked back at Sora. "You didn't have to swipe it Sora," he said sternly, "you could have asked me for it." Sora quickly made up a comeback.

"I couldn't really ask you for it while I was in the middle of leaving in a state of depression Jiminy," he retaliated before taking his trademark pose with his hands behind his head, "besides, where's the fun in that?" Kairi giggled. Behind them, Donald's stomach growled.

"Hurry up!" he yelled. "Goofy's already at the table, and I don't want to have nothing to eat!" The quacking duck immediately left them and waddled to the table as fast as his webbed feet could take him. The King sighed.

"Welp, we'd better go too. Donald has a bigger appetite than Goofy." The six of them headed towards the table, the smell of ham and scalloped potatoes wafting towards them.

"I wish I actually could eat," Roxas moaned, rubbing his stomach. Naminé giggled.

"If it's any consolation," she said, "I can't eat either!" Roxas laughed at her whining, as they walked into the kitchen, bringing up the rear.

There was much conversation during dinner. As they had been telling the story from beginning to end, there hadn't been much time for commentary and going into all the nitty-gritty details. Around the supper table though, the parents and Kairi began calling for more renditions and repetitions. Eating was punctuated with requests like "Tell us about Captain Jack Sparrow again," or, "How did you beat Luxord again?" Sora felt as if now he was really storytelling.

_What I did earlier_, he reasoned, _was just connecting point A to B. What I'm now doing is storytelling_. He could tell that Roxas felt the same way, but he could also sense a longing for food that went beyond him.

_Oh, if I could only eat._ Roxas silently said to him. Sora decided to poke fun at his Nobody by telepathically telling Roxas how each bite tasted.

_Oh, this is so good_, he thought, _this is the best potato I have ever tasted! And this ham is the most succu-_

_Sora. If you don't shut up, right now, I'm going to have Kairi kill you!_ Naminé commuted. Sora slightly paled. _She can hear my thoughts too. Now I have two angry Nobodies against me!_ Sora looked over to Kairi. She was smirking at him as if she was being told everything he was doing. Despite her sweet smile, she gave him a look that said 'you're on your own.' As Sora was contemplating the possible ways that two transparent people who could come and go between his and Kairi's minds at will could do him in, Seymour, always the skeptic, spoke.

"Well boy," he said. "You've spun a thrilling tale, one that would probably make the best seller for two years if you wrote it as a book. Where is the proof though?" Sora, Kairi, and Riku made faces of severe annoyance at his disbelief. Roxas and Naminé appeared offended.

"So you want more proof than Jiminy's full journal, two spectral Nobodies, one of which is technically a second daughter to you, and several people from another world, fine!" Riku snapped as he rose from the table. He nodded at Sora and Kairi, who rose and joined him in a line. Each of them stuck out their right hand. With a flash of light, their three keyblades appeared. Riku, on the right, with Way to the Dawn, Sora in the center with the Oblivion, and Kairi on the left with her unnamed kayblade. It had a black handle with a golden pommel before the key chain; its hilt was curved into a heart with one side changing from a sand gray to an ocean white with a wave protruding. The other side was also sand gray as it wove its way up the shaft, which changed from a bright yellow to a deep red, melting into the flowers that formed the key.

All four adults were shocked. For them, even if it might have been true, it was a pleasant tale. Now, to have everything completely proven in one instant, it was entirely downright devastating. At the very same instant after the shock wore off of seeing the keyblades…

"You are not to go on anymore adventures!"

Sora and the others immediately protested, but Anne and the others were adamant. "You could've been killed," she reasoned, "you could've died, Sora, you did die. I don't want to lose you again. Kairi, you lost your heart. Sure, it ended up in Sora, but you were still close to death. Riku, you gave in to darkness and were possessed. I'm sure none of us want that again."

"But mom," Sora countered, but Seymour silenced him with his hand.

"I'll hear none of it. Since everything you've told us is true, as mayor, I forbid any of you from leaving these islands again." Seymour sternly reprimanded. Kairi and Sora grimaced.

"Even if the worlds fall in danger again?" Kairi asked. Seymour remained a stone.

"Even if your friends on Radiant Garden or whatever it's called will die if you don't go to help them," he said savagely.

Kairi began to cry. Naminé then faded out in a bright flash of yellow as the glow covered Kairi. She ran outside her keyblade vanishing, trying to hide the tears.

Sora was equally as emotional. Except, half was pure rage, the other pure hurt. Afraid to attack Kairi's father, he dismissed the Oblivion and attempted to stomp off after Kairi, only to have a seething Seymour step in front of him and shove him away as he left after his daughter. Riku dismissed his own keyblade and followed his parents out of the open door, his own hatred of the situation masked.

King Mickey and the others looked nervously around and at Anne.

"Um…" he said, "we'd better get going. Goodbye Sora, I hope we'll still be able to visit." Anne simply looked coldly at him. The King quailed as if Minnie gave him that look. "Gotta go, I just remembered, Minnie wants me to walk Pluto," he hurriedly said as he rushed out the door, Goofy and Jiminy, with his whole journal, at his heels. Donald stayed back just long enough to magically start and finish the dishes and wish Sora good luck. Anne turned to look at her son(s) and pointed up the stairs.

"Bed mister," she declared. Sora looked angrily at her.

"Fine!" he snapped as he began walking up the stairs. An equally miffed Roxas faded into a blue light that engulfed Sora. Anne sighed and shook her head. _I just don't want him hurt_, she thought, _I hope we're doing the right thing._

* * *

"I can't believe this!"

Sora, Kairi, and Riku were on the small islet on their island. It had been a week since their parents forbade them from leaving the islands, a week also since they had been together. The King and the others had left immediately for fear of they're parents' wrath. And to top it off, school was to start tomorrow.

"I know," said Kairi. "I have barely done any fighting and they won't let me go if we ever have to again."

"Kairi," Riku began, "they won't let any of us go. You heard what your father said."

"Why do they keep treating us like little kids?" Sora asked to nobody in particular. "I mean, we're fifteen, Riku, you're sixteen…"

"Maybe it's because at your age, you guys think you're invincible," Roxas said as he faded in. Sora turned to his Nobody.

"That's true of most teenagers, but with what we've been through, we know we aren't invincible. WE know the dangers, and we know how to fight them."

"Maybe they just don't know that yet," Naminé said as she also faded in next to Kairi. She turned to Roxas and hugged him. "I missed you," she said sweetly. Roxas smiled and hugged her back while Sora and Kairi half blushed at their Nobodies behavior and turned away from each other, with Kairi going down to the beach. "It sucks," Naminé said to Sora with a harsh look on her face before looking back to Roxas, "because your parents are keeping you two separate, Roxas and I can't be together." Sora remembered the promise he and Kairi made to them and made an apologetic face.

"Sorry Naminé," he said with his face downcast at his failed promise. She and Roxas looked at him.

"Look man," Roxas said with a smile on his face, "I know I've been beating you up about it for the last week, but it isn't like you can do anything about it."

Riku, meanwhile, was looking out at the sea. "Nothing's really changed huh?" meaning the islands. Sora didn't catch his drift.

"Yes it has." Riku sighed and held his head in his hands.

"No stupid, I mean that nothing here's really changed much, even though we have." Sora resented this comment, but responded.

"Nope, nothing will." Sora looked up at his best friend. They hadn't talked much about the stuff after their battle with Xemnas "Hey Riku, what do you think it was, the door to the light?" Riku laughed and pointed at his heart. Sora looked down.

"That?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah," Riku said to all of them, "It's always closer than you think." Sora smiled as Roxas looked down at Naminé in the eyes and hugged her tighter.

"Sora, Riku!" Sora turned his head to see Kairi running back with a stitch in her side.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, opening his arms ready to catch her if she fell. Kairi looked up. In her arms she held a corked bottle with a message in it.

"Look," she said as she showed them. Inside was a scroll bearing three black circles that resembled a mouse's head.

"From the King?" Naminé asked as Sora quickly took the bottle and fished out the scroll.

He read it first, with Riku and Kairi reading over his shoulders. Roxas quickly became impatient.

"Well, what's it say?" he asked. Sora began to read aloud.

_Dear Sora, Kairi, and Riku,_

_I hope your parents haven't punished you too harshly. Sorry about the hasty departure, but we began to fear for our lives. Unfortunately, in our week apart I have discovered something we forgot about. It shouldn't be a problem, but in the case that the Destiny Islands comes under attack by Heartless, I have dispatched two volunteers to help you out. Remember, they are my representatives and you will do what they tell you. You should become acquainted with them tomorrow._

_Hope you're all well,_

_Mickey_

"What do you think it means?" asked Kairi.

"It means the Heartless are still out there, and that they're increased in strength. It also means that the King acknowledges our current position with our folks and so is sending help to us." Riku said.

"So what do we do now?" asked Sora.

"We wait until these representatives make themselves known. Until then, we go home, and prepare for school tomorrow," he replied, noticing that it was getting darker. Sora sighed. "Let's go," Riku said, standing up, and leaving to the docks.

Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Naminé were just walking across the bridge from the islet when Riku began rowing away. As they reached their own boats, Roxas and Naminé looked at each other, before melting back into their respective mists.

The boat ride back took only five minutes, as the current was with them today. Kairi looked back at the island with longing.

"I wish we could still be over there," she said, "we don't have parents that forbid us from seeing each other on our island." Sora looked at her with pity. He knew what she was talking about. The main reason why today was the first they had been together was that Seymour wouldn't let Kairi out, afraid that she would see Sora and he would take her away from him. Sora thought it was silly, but the only thing he could think about in the previous week was what he wouldn't give to see Kairi again or to even smell her perfume. It had felt as painful as when Saïx wouldn't take him to her while in Hollow Bastion. There she was, yet he couldn't see her. Sora saw that she had started walking home. _I won't lose her tonight_, he thought,_ not yet_. He quickly caught up to her, for she wasn't walking very quickly, and put his black jacket over her.

"It's a cold night. I'll walk you home," he said quietly as he sadly smiled at her. She looked up at him, her cerulean eyes full of gratitude and warmth. She snuggled closer into his jacket, drawing the warmth from it into her.

"Thank you Sora," she said, turning her head away so he wouldn't see her blush, not that he could in the dark.

_You sly dog._

_Shut up Roxas._

They walked slowly, neither of them wanting to be parted quickly. It had been bad enough that they were torn apart for so long, but to be on the same world and unable to see each other was too much. The cobblestones glistened softly in the streetlamps as they slowly walked down the street. Neither of them spoke, for each felt that their heart would betray them and say something they thought they would regret.

They finally arrived in front of Kairi's house. She sighed sadly as she removed Sora's jacket.

"I have to go," she said, giving it back to him. She suddenly hugged him, falling into his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him. Sora was taken aback, but comfortingly wrapped his arms around her. Her perfume was like an intoxicating drug, making Sora feel extremely dizzy and off balance, yet he also felt as if he could hold her like this all day. What is this feeling? He asked himself.

"Meet me here at eight tomorrow morning," Kairi whispered, pulling back from him. "Then we can walk to school together and catch up." Sora smiled at her, as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I'd like that," he said quietly. She turned to go, and slowly entered her home, giving Sora a small wave before she left his sight. The vanilla, honey, strawberry blend wafted gently up from his jacket, still in his hands.

_You've got it bad._

_Shut up._

* * *

_It isn't all that long, I know, but the next one will definitely be longer._

_I've already thought of some worlds I'll take them too, but suggestions will be appreciated. Please review._

_Just a note on the re-run through. I'm not taking suggestions on worlds unless you win the contest that will be explained much later._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You.**_

_Shire Folk_


	4. School

_Thanks to the reviewers, even though I'm writing this right after I posted the last chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter IIII: School

Sora woke up early the next morning. He looked over at his clock on his bedside table. 7:00, he thought. Gives me enough time to eat breakfast and get into that stupid uniform. He quickly rose and took a shower.

After his shower, he changed into his school uniform. _Too white_, he thought, trying to tie his tie. He looked himself over in the mirror. A white dress shirt, blue plaid tie, blue plaid shorts. Not the most thrilling thing to be wearing five days in a row. He looked at his watch, 7:48. His eyes widened in fear as he raced down the stairs, his sock feet skidding on the kitchen's floor. He landed in his chair with a customary plop, and his mom placed a slice of toast on his plate while filling his glass of orange juice. She frowned.

"You aren't usually up this early on a school day," she said while turning back towards the stove. Sora fired his glass of juice down his throat.

"I'm usually not," he said, choking down on half of his toast, "but I'm meeting Kairi at eight." Anne smiled with her back to him. _So that's why he was a little late last night, and why he smelled his jacket twice._

Sora finished his toast, grabbed his bag, and leapt out of the house with a quick goodbye to his mother. He raced down the street feverishly checking his watch.

He rounded the corner, and saw Kairi standing in front of her house, but something was wrong. Someone was standing next to her.

A _male_ someone. And he didn't have lilac silver hair either.

He was plainly irritating Kairi, judging by her disgusted face. Although Sora's side was screaming in agony, he ignored it and demanded his legs run faster. He slowed down to a slightly fast walk as he heard the boy's drawl. He didn't want to appear suspicious.

"So, beautiful, you want to walk to school with me? Maybe we can have some fun on the way…" he said, his greasy voice attempting to take a seductive tone. His hand began creeping up her shoulder. Kairi was disgusted and shoved him away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, you perv!" She retorted. The boy looked as if he had been slapped in the face. He quickly recovered and being about a foot taller than Kairi, grabbed her arm, an evil grin forming on his face.

"You're coming with me, whether you want to or not." Naminé faded in a look of utter hatred claiming her visage. Her hands balled into fists.

"Let go of her!" she shouted in vain, but the boy took no notice of her, as if she wasn't even there. Sora's eyes widened in fear. Our Nobodies can't make themselves seen anymore! Naminé turned to him and gave him a pleading look.

"Hey!" Sora yelled, his voice quivering with rage. He was just barely able to keep his keyblade at bay. _I can't use it here_, he thought savagely. The boy and Kairi turned to look at him. Kairi's eyes filled with new hope.

"Sora!" she cried out in happiness. This was the first friendly sight she had seen since she left her house. The boy shoved his free hand over her mouth to muffle any further outbursts.

"So," he said, "you're who she was waiting for." His eyes glinted with evil intentions. "Go home, she's mine you runt." Sora didn't back down, instead he took two steps forward, raised his hand, and motioned for the punk to try and take him. The boy raised his eyebrow while smirking. "I guess I'll just have to beat you to a bloody pulp. When will pipsqueaks like you learn that the tough guys always get what and who," he said staring at Kairi, "they want?"

The boy raised his fist and charged like a bull at Sora. He was ready. Sora had fought foes than made his skin crawl, he defeated giant heartless that made this punk look like a bug. Sora had beaten Sephiroth! Sora noticed that the boy was about to punch him in the face. In a flash Sora's left hand had grabbed his fist and stopped him dead in his tracks. The boy's face held a look of shocked surprise. He had been stopped! By a little runt no less! Sora grinned and crushed his fist with his hand, just enough to make him squeak in pain, not enough to break bones. Sora released the boy with a shove. The boy shook his hand, amazed at Sora's death grip.

"I believe," Sora began a deliberately maniacal grin on his face, "that Kairi doesn't want to go with you." The boy looked down at Sora in fear, before looking back at Kairi, who happened to be smirking with Naminé standing next to her, although he couldn't see her.

"She's not that great," he said before running away like a pansy. Naminé stuck out her tongue.

"Pansy," she laughed. Sora and Kairi ran towards each other and embraced in a deep hug. Sora inhaled her perfume and looked over her face, suddenly realizing just how beautiful she was, even in the cruddy uniform.

"You okay princess?" he asked. She smiled at him, even though she was annoyed.

"I am now," she said, before becoming playful. "And I told you before to not call me princess." Sora smiled as they released each other.

"Okay, princess."

Kairi huffed at him. _If you want it that way…_ she thought. "Fine, then as a princess, I order you to not call me princess again, or bow to me, unless explicitly stated by me and me only." Sora pulled his face into one of mock concentration, as if searching for a loophole. He looked back at her, unable to find one.

"Fine, Kairi," he said handing her her dropped backpack. She smiled a sweet smile.

"Thanks Sora," Naminé looked between them.

"You're weird," she said before going back into Kairi. They smiled before starting to walk to school.

"So," Sora began after about five minutes, "has anyone else been troubling you like that?" Kairi shook her head.

"No," she said playfully, "I haven't had any other _suitors_." Sora grinned and took his trademark pose while walking.

"That's good. I could barely keep the keyblade away. I don't know if I could the next time."

"I hope there won't be a next time," she said sadly. "It took so much concentration to keep my own keyblade away that he was able to grab me." They sighed.

"Will things ever be the same again?" Sora asked.

"I don't know Sora, we aren't really the same now are we?" Kairi said dismally, before her expression lightened up. "But whatever happens, we'll always be able to face it."

They rose over a hill, in the near distance; they could see their school. It was a rectangular building with two floors made out of concrete. There wasn't much about it, apart from the greenhouse and lush gardens in front of it. Sora noticed that people were already filing in.

"Kairi," he asked, "what am I going to tell Tidus, Wakka, Selphie and the others?" She thought for a minute as they continued.

"Tell them," she began, an idea formulating in her mind, "that you were away visiting your great aunt on another island. You're lucky no one remembered you, or else you'd have to repeat a grade." Sora began sweating bullets, thinking of what his teachers would say if he couldn't do any of the work they requested.

_Just say you forgot over the summer._ Roxas said. Sora grinned.

_Thank you very much dear Nobody_, he thought, remembering with a pang what Pooh had said whenever he dropped him.

_I'm going to get you for that_. Roxas growled. Sora laughed.

_I'd like to see you try._

"Um Sora," Kairi said. He looked at her, still slightly grinning.

"Yeah Kai," he said, deciding to use her nickname for once.

"Why are you laughing?" Sora laughed again and told her what he told Roxas. She grinned and laughed back. "Roxas is going to get you for that." Sora grinned at her as they stepped through the front doors.

"I'd like to see him try."

The two of them headed to the main office where they collected their timetables and lockers, which coincidentally happened to be right next to each other. Sora looked up from his timetable as he deposited his backpack in his locker.

"What have you got this semester Kairi?" he asked. She looked down at her own schedule.

"Umm, first block, English with Mrs. Botterill, second, Phys-ed with Mr. Sauster, after lunch Chemistry with Labelle, and last Advanced Weapons Training," she recited. "Strange, it doesn't have a teacher listed for Weapons Training."

"Maybe that means there's more than one for our class." Sora said as they began walking through the hallway. Kairi looked inquisitively at him.

"What do you mean 'our' class?" Sora smiled.

"My timetable is the exact same as yours, except I have a different Phys-ed teacher." He said while looking at her. She stifled an excited giggle as the bell rung while they walked into their English class. As it turned out, all their friends from the island were in it. Except Riku, he was in a different grade.

"Good morning class." Mrs. Botterill said. She was about five foot two, with short black hair, and round black glasses. She wore a black vest over a pink shirt, and had a pair of black dress pants on.

"Good morning Mrs. Botterill," the class chorused back while Sora and Kairi took seats in the middle of the room.

"This year, I would like to start things off a little differently," Botterill started, "I would like to get the writing portion of the course out of the way as soon as possible, in order for us to begin film study earlier. I would like each of you to write either an essay or narrative on what you did during the summer." Much of the class protested outright saying that they hadn't had to write something like that since elementary school. Two people however, simply sat in shock.

"She can't be serious," Sora nervously squeaked to Kairi, who sat in front of him. Before she could answer him, Mrs. Botterill spoke again.

"For all those wondering, yes I am serious. I wish to know you all better. I want it due for next Tuesday, and it has to be at least five hundred words long. I've already booked the lab for this class and tomorrow, so let's head on over there."

"What do we do, Sora?" Kairi asked him as they rose in a tumult. "We can't tell the truth can we?" Sora mulled it over.

"I think," he began, choosing his words carefully, "that we should tell the truth. She doesn't have to believe it, but it's what we did. And," he continued with a smile forming on his face, "it'll be far longer than five hundred words." She giggled at him as they proceeded down the hallway, each person in the class talking to one another.

"So," Kairi started as they entered the lab and logged onto computers, "how will we do it? Together, or separately?" Sora smiled sadly.

"Although our stories are connected Kairi," he said, as he began opening a word processor, "yours is different from mine. I think that you should write your own. About what you did and felt. That's what Mrs. Botterill wants anyway." Kairi sighed.

"I guess you're right Sora. Sora?" She looked at him; he appeared to have not heard her. His fingers were moving like faster than lightning. Everything appeared a blur around his keyboard as the sound of stroking keys filled the room. Kairi looked at her own screen and began to type.

* * *

Sora felt as if he were emitting a great flood of memory and directing its flow onto the screen. All of his thoughts, feelings, and memories flowed out of his mind and onto the page like lightning. He had to be typing at over 200 words per minute. Kairi was typing up a storm next to him, her face deep in concentration. Unbeknownst to everyone in the class, Roxas faded in behind Sora.

_Time for my revenge_, he thought. Just as he was about to say something bad enough to distract the two keyblade wielding teens and cause them to draw them, Naminé appeared and clasped her hand over his mouth.

"No Roxas," she pleaded, "don't say it." She was able to restrain him, and forced him back into Sora by physically shoving him in. The whole scene went unnoticed to Sora as Roxas mentally pouted.

* * *

By the end of the class, Sora had already finished parts one and two of his narrative. As the bell rang, Sora saved his work, and began shaking his hands.

"Whoa," he said, "that feels good." Kairi rose and looked at him.

"What does," she said with a sweet smile, "typing faster than was ever though physically possible?" He smiled as he placed an arm around her shoulder, a faint blush rising in their cheeks.

"No," he said, "actually sitting down and writing it."

He led them down to their lockers, waiting for them, was Riku.

"So," he said cocking his head and raising an eyebrow, "what have you two been up to?" Sora took his arm off of Kairi, much to her surprise she was wishing he was still holding her.

"We were in the computer lab writing about what we did over the summer," Sora answered. He then chuckled, "I hope she'll accept it even though I started with last summer, I still have to write about this summer." Riku's eyes grew wide in amazement.

"You're writing about that!?" he exclaimed. "You better hope she doesn't believe you." Sora laughed nervously.

"Don't worry, I also wrote little side-essays on Heartless and Nobodies explaining what they were for the purposes of my story." He explained. Riku shook his head and walked away.

The rest of the day past by uneventfully, unless you can call Roxas' continual attempts to get back at Sora uneventful. Even Sora and Kairi never saw Naminé wrestle and pin Roxas to the ground in order to keep him from saying whatever-it-was he was going to say.

Sora and Kairi dropped their books off after third block, Sora's head spinning with how every chemistry theory is unproven, unlike physics laws, and trying to define energy.

"I just don't get it!" he fumed at Kairi, "why can't I just define matter and energy as 'stuff'." She giggled at his fuming face. She grabbed his arm.

"C'mon," she said, "we're going to be late." Kairi pulled him hard and led him down to their school's special Weapons Training gymnasium. As they entered through a side door, Sora noticed that they only had six other people in their class. There was Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, two boys whose names he was sure were John, and Michael, and a girl by the name of Brittany. "Small class," Kairi said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Sora said as they made their way to the center of the room. "Wonder who our teacher is?" His question was barely out of mouth when the large double doors banged open.

Silhouetted in the bright white light were two figures. One was taller than the other. The shorter one appeared to be a girl around eighteen. Sora couldn't make out her features as she was too far away. All he could see was that she was wearing a black top that ended about two inches before a short pair of black shorts. The taller figure was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, shrouding his face in shadow, a pair of black jeans on his legs. The interesting thing was the outline on his hoodie. There were black lines in the center, black lines that formed three connected circles.

Three circles that looked just like the King's symbol!

Before Sora could even look at Kairi, the hooded figure spoke in a voice that froze the two of them in their spots.

"We're your new teachers. Got it memorized?"

* * *

_I lied it wasn't really longer. If you have no clue who just spoke that line, I condemn you to the thousand slaps of doom!_

_Reviews Welcome!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	5. The King's Representatives

_Hey, I thanks for all your reviews, I bet you've been worming in your seats wondering how this author brought Axel back. Well, it all gets answered here._

_To lil' Gingergirl I'm sorry about condemning you._

_Please Review!_

_Disclaimer: If I knew what it going to happen in the next KH game, I would own Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter V: The King's Representatives

_Axel._

This one thought registered in Sora's mind as he stood stock still, staring at the figure, who had now removed his hood, in the doorway.

Kairi was having a private conversation with Naminé as she stared at Axel in horror.

_Axel!_ cried Naminé. _I'm glad he's back. He was always so nice to me in Castle Oblivion. He used to bring me extra blankets and pillows. Always looking out for my well-being._

Despite what Kairi thought as the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help but poke fun at Naminé. _What?_ She thought. _You have the hots for Axel now?_

Naminé pouted. _No,_ she replied bitterly, _I have the hots for Roxas, you know, _Sora's_ Nobody._ Her tone softened into what could be called the kind girls use when they know something about their friend's love life. _You like him don't you?_

Meanwhile Sora was having an unrelated conversation with Roxas.

_Axel's dead!_ Sora thought savagely.

_No he's not! He's standing right there._

_Axel's dead!_

_Look in front of you!_

_He's dead!_

_No he isn't! _

_Hopefully his companion will keep him from killing us all._ Sora dimly noticed that the two figures were walking towards the class, however, his eyes were focused on the ground while he mentally fought with his Nobody. A new voice spoke, abruptly ending his internal feud.

"As my colleague said, we are you're new teachers. And you'd better do what we tell you if you don't want to be hurt. Either by us, or yourselves." Sora realized that he recognized that voice. He slowly brought his eyes up from the ground to inspect the figure standing next to the un-dead member of Organization XIII. About eighteen, light green boots, black shorts, black top, short black hair, red headband. His face contorted into one of utter surprise as he realized whom it was before he even saw her face.

It was Yuffie!

There will be no mercy. Poseidon help them.

If she had recognized him or Kairi, she didn't show it. She wasn't looking at them either, her attention was fixed on the rest of the class.

"This is Mr. Axel," Yuffie continued, "and you may call me Miss Yuffie." Sora's face began to grow hot as he was besieged by giggles, which he stifled. He turned his head to look at Kairi.

"Miss Yuffie?" he whispered to her in disbelief. When their eyes met, they couldn't hold it in any longer.

They burst out laughing.

The rest of the class looked right at them, wondering what was funny. Yuffie looked at them, clearly annoyed.

"You two," she said as they started to get their laughter under control, "detention after school. Understand?"

Sora and Kairi looked up at Yuffie, clutching their sides. "Sure thing," they said, "Miss Yuffie." Their eyes met again, and they lost control again. Yuffie tried to look sternly at them.

"If you don't stop laughing," Yuffie began, a smirk forming on her lips, "then I'll let Mr. Axel do whatever he wants to you." At her words, Sora and Kairi immediately stopped laughing and stood straight up. "That's better."

She turned to Axel, who decided it was time for him to begin talking. He clapped his hands together, as if to get ready for some fun.

"You guys are here because you are the advanced class in your grade," he said, a wicked smile forming on his lips, "but that doesn't mean you guys are good. We're here to teach you how to fight like pros, but before we begin we must know what level of proficiency you're at." He pointed to a wooden chest in the corner by a metal door with a screen nearby and a keypad for a lock. "Gather a weapon from that chest, the best two of you today will get to go in the simulator tomorrow." The metal door's purpose became apparent. It must lead to the simulation room, Sora thought as he stepped forward to claim a weapon from the chest. "Hold it you two." Axel said with a smile, meaning Sora and Kairi. They looked at him and he beckoned with his finger. They looked at each other, their eyes full of concern, but they walked towards their two teachers.

As they neared them, Axel and Yuffie smiled. "How's it going you two?" Yuffie asked, whacking Sora on the head. Sora chuckled.

"Well," he said, "we were doing okay, but now we have detention."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Yuffie said, she didn't look remorseful at all though she looked happy. That's Yuffie. Kairi looked nervously at Axel.

"Um, Axel," she started nervously, "how are you um…" He chuckled.

"That's Mr. Axel princess, and I'll tell you why I'm not dead in detention. Now go get something from the chest, I made sure there were some wooden swords in there."

Sora and Kairi hurried off and grabbed the last two objects in the chest, wooden swords. Sora smirked as he remembered trying to beat Heartless in Hollow Bastion with only a wooden sword. They then returned to the center of the gym with the rest of the class.

"What were they talking to you about yah?" asked Wakka. Kairi pulled a grimace.

"What we're doing during detention." She replied truthfully.

"Now," said Yuffie, "as Mr. Axel stated, we need to know what level you guys are at in order to train you, so pair up and start sparring. Sora, Kairi, no sparring yet, watch the others first." She gave them a wink as they turned to head into the bleachers, being quickly followed by Yuffie and Axel.

"Wow, they must suck," Michael said to Tidus before they began. Tidus was armed with a pole, Michael, a sword. The other pairings in the first round were Selphie and Brittany (both with swords), and Wakka vs. John (blitzball vs. sword). Sora looked up at Axel when he saw their weapons. Axel laughed.

"Fine I stocked it with swords, happy?" Sora turned back to watch to sparring matches.

All they could say was, they were thankfully brief. In all of the matches, each person won by sheer dumb luck, or their opponent's lack of skill. Selphie only won hers because Brittany lost grip on her sword when she could only half-block a slow attack Selphie delivered.

"They're wide open too often," Sora commented.

"They don't press any initiative or opening that they created either," added Kairi.

"Too slow," said Yuffie.

"No fire," Axel said with a pyro gleam in his eyes. Yuffie looked at Axel. He sighed and stood up. "Guess we have to go teach these twerps. You two go spar in a corner." Yuffie and Axel walked down the bleacher's steps and towards the class, Axel yelling at them how horrible that was, and Yuffie simply shaking her head. Sora and Kairi walked to a corner and pulled out their wooden swords. Sora grinned.

"Remember Kairi," he said, "just because I like you doesn't mean I'll go easy on you." _Actually,_ he thought. _I will go a little easy on her, just so she doesn't get hurt._

_I bet there's a different reason,_ Roxas said in the back of his head. Sora stared forward blankly for a second before shaking his head. Kairi smiled knowingly, yet a small tinge of pink blossomed on her cheeks.

_He likes me?_ she thought, before she quickly shook her head to clear her mind.

"I won't hold back," Kairi warned him, giving the air a threatening slash in front of Sora. They stood facing each other for another second before both combatants flew straight at each other, their swords meeting right between them in their first slash.

They each pulled back, and charged again, this time blocking and parrying each other's blows. Sora was amazed at how skilled Kairi was as their friendly spar quickly escalated into a friendly war and contest of skill. They slashed, blocked, parried, thrust, spun, jumped, rolled, and dodged in a rhythmic dance. Neither entrant would submit to the other. Neither would accept anything but victory.

_She's beautiful even when fighting_, Sora thought as he executed a back flip to avoid her slash at his ribs. He brought his sword down upon her head, which Kairi sidestepped and aimed a thrust at his side. Sora parried the blow with a flick of his wrist and threw a quick slash at her side, which missed by inches as she rolled over to avoid it. Her eyes flashed playfully with a look that said, 'missed me'. Sora laughed and leapt back, before the laugh died on his face when Kairi was suddenly in front of him, hacking at his blade with her own.

_She's better than I ever thought possible_, Sora thought with widened eyes. _Time to ante up then_. He rolled underneath a horizontal slice and brought his sword up quickly. Kairi yelped but kicked at the sword, parrying the blow. A fireball formed in his left hand as he rose behind her.

"Fire," he said, releasing the ball of flame at her back, sure that this would bring the victory. Kairi turned and saw the projectile coming towards her and dove towards Sora, the fire just passing over her own red hair. She slashed out at his legs and Sora was forced to retreat.

At first the class had ignored the sounds of their sparring, as Yuffie had been instructing them, and they began sparring again with increasing skill, for the first ten minutes, but after twenty a few eyes couldn't be kept away from the two. Approaching the fifty-minute mark, Yuffie and the rest of the class were staring with unknown fascination. Not even Yuffie knew Sora could fight this good, and Kairi's performance was startling! Michael's eyes were wide in fear as he wondered if they had heard what he said earlier, and looked around the gymnasium. There were chips of wood and splinters everywhere as Sora and Kairi's blades had slowly come to look like they'd somehow survived a trip through a wood chipper. He looked down at his own sword. There was hardly a scratch on it! They're lucky their wearing gloves, he thought as he saw them blocking swings at each other. Another chip flew off of Sora's sword and landed right at feet. Axel was about eight feet away from the class on the bleachers watching them with mild interest.

"Kairi's good isn't she?" a voice Axel hadn't thought he'd ever hear again said. He turned his head, and saw the transparent figure of Roxas. Although he was incredibly surprised, Axel kept his cool.

"So," he said, "how's life as an astral projection?" Roxas laughed.

"Well, the down side is, I can't eat," Roxas said, "the good side is, I can annoy Sora whenever I want, and I can see Naminé practically whenever Sora and Kairi are together."

"Huh," Axel quietly huffed, "I don't see the blonde chick now." Roxas laughed again.

"That's because she's a little ticked at me. Sora said something this morning that ticked me off, so I've been trying to say something to him as payback." Roxas looked back at the two fiercely fighting combatants. "I think I'll give them a few more minutes." Axel didn't press him. Whatever it is, he thought, it'll be good. After all, it is my man Roxas.

The two combatants were having a quick reprieve from the fight as they stood facing each other, each of them sweating profusely. Sora decided to end the moment of peace by running up and throwing a slash at Kairi's midriff, which he knew she would parry. As expected, she parried the blow, and slashed at Sora.

_Now I can put some of the skills I learned to use_, Sora thought as he grinned at Kairi. He quickly propelled himself high in the air to dodge her attack. Sora's feet landed on the back of the wall. He pushed off and flew past Kairi, aiming a slash at her head, which she twitched her neck to avoid, turning all the while to face him. Sora landed at the other end of the gym, and turned to face her.

Kairi began running at Sora; her demented wooden sword poised in front her as she charged him. Sora followed suit and began running at Kairi in a similar pose. _Time to shorten the distance_. Sora focused, and Quick Ran to about three feet in front of Kairi. Her face radiated shock at him suddenly being right in front of her, yet she also grinned with a look that said, 'you cheater'. They slashed their hacked up swords at each other as they ran past, each blow a parry, as more bits of wood scattered on the floor. Axel raised his eyebrows and looked at Roxas.

"Kairi's really good," he said. "When are you going to do it?" Roxas looked back at him with a smile.

"Oh, very soon."

Sora and Kairi were back in the center of the gym; their pace had slowed a little as they used a lot of energy in the last charge. Sora blocked another slash from Kairi and counterattacked with a swipe at her legs. She jumped back, wiping her brow as best as she could. He could see that she was at last showing clear signs of weariness. Then again, he was also panting heavily. He pressed on with a small hop towards her, striking at her midriff. Kairi was a little slow in blocking Sora's slash, and her feeble attempt was only strong enough to deflect his slash's momentum into knocking her blade away. Though she still maintained a grip on it, her sword dangled uselessly at her side for a moment. Sora grinned and gave her a look that said as plain as day, 'It's over.' He charged her, and as Kairi resigned herself to defeat, a voice echoed out a deafening cry,

"HEARTLESS!"

Sora and Kairi whipped around, all signs of weariness gone, as they stood back to back, their wooden swords raised in defiance of any heartless. One cry was not enough for them to draw their keyblades. They wouldn't unleash their fiery wrath and their secret until they actually saw a heartless. They stood panting for a few seconds, waiting for the heartless to appear. Only when they heard two familiar voices laughing, and the rest of the class whispering, "why did they stop?" did they open their eyes in shock. There weren't any heartless…

They had been tricked!

Sora lowered his sword that he dimly noticed now looked oddly similar to the Fenrir, and looked at Roxas, his expression unreadable. _You got me_, he said, _but Roxas, if you ever regain a physical form, I will kill you_. Roxas looked skeptically at Sora.

"I'd like to see you try," he mocked. Kairi looked at Roxas, anger painting her visage. Whatever she said to him, it made Roxas quail and quickly disappear in a blue light that engulfed Sora. Luckily, only Sora, Kairi, and Axel, who was still laughing hysterically, saw the glow.

Sora and Kairi turned back to look at each other.

"So," Sora began, "we call this one a draw, eh Kairi?" He extended his hand. She smiled, all previous anger at Roxas apparently gone. Kairi took his hand and shook it.

"Good one Sora." Sora blushed and rubbed the back of his head. Yuffie broke them up.

"Well you two, you've earned a one way ticket to the simulation room tomorrow." She congratulated them. Sora faked a whine.

"Don't I get a party too?" he asked, half pulling a purple card out of his pocket. Yuffie laughed at him.

"Not now you don't Sora."

He made a puppy pout, and shoved the card back in his pocket as the bell rang. Before leaving, Tidus came up to them.

"I didn't know you two could fight like that." He said, before pulling a pen and slip of paper out of his pocket. He handed them over to Sora and Kairi. "Can I have your autograph?" he asked. Kairi blushed a little as she signed his paper.

"I didn't know we had fans Sora," she said, handing the pen and paper over to him. Their hands touched for the slightest moment and they both blushed.

Axel had finally recovered from his laughing fit.

"Man Roxas," he said, wiping a tear from his eye, "that was a good one. And you even included a bit of fire for me, I liked that." His expression became harsh, his teal eyes glinting with malice. "Tidus, I suggest you leave unless you want detention too."

Tidus looked inquisitively at Axel. "Who's Roxas?"

Axel's eyes glinted. "None of your concern Tidus. Now go unless you want a head shaved by fire," he threatened as a ball of flame started to form in his hand.

Giving Sora and Kairi a hurried goodbye, Tidus grabbed his paper and ran out the double doors. Sora looked at Kairi with wonder.

"So Kairi," he asked, "when did you learn to fight like that?" She looked sadly at him.

"While you were gone," she started quietly, "I started feeling so helpless. Even Selphie could fight a little back then, and I had always stayed outside of it all while watching you and Riku spar against each other all the time. After coming to Traverse Town, and seeing you, Donald, Goofy, the Beast, Leon and Yuffie fighting the heartless so well, it got me thinking. I wanted to be able to fight too. When you told me I couldn't come with you to Hollow Bastion to find Riku because I would get in your way, I felt completely useless. You don't know how much it hurt inside when you said that. So when I was left alone on the islands, I decided to train, so I wouldn't just get in the way the next time around. Even when I couldn't remember you I still had a strange feeling of depression surrounding me. I knew it had something to do with you, with the boy I couldn't remember. And even though I couldn't even remember your face, I still remembered your place in memories I had had of Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion, and seeing the heartless. I trained the hardest then. It was all done in secret, I wanted no one to know that I was spending a year training to fight. It wasn't the proper thing for the mayor's daughter to be learning." Sora looked at her in amazement. He had never known that she had felt all that. His body then did something that his conscious mind would never allow.

He gave her a hug, and she returned it in earnest.

Sora held her face in his hands and saw that she had tears in her eyes, and rolling down her cheeks. He gently wiped them away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry Kai," he said, bringing her into a comforting hug again.

A cough sounded behind them. They quickly broke apart, madly blushing crimson. Axel grinned.

"Now that we have you alone, and apart, I believe I owe you an explanation as to how I'm alive." He looked at them with a grin. Sora looked back at him, his face curious.

"Right, so how are you alive?" Axel's face grew into one of pained concentration.

"When I died," he began, "I wasn't really gone. You see, I hadn't been 'slain', as it were, I had simply used up all of my energy and my broken body couldn't handle the strain. Even though my body was gone, my soul lingered. And so, after you guys destroyed Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts, my heart found my soul, and they reconstructed my body. Since I knew I owed you guys everything, I decided to join King Mickey, and defending this backwater place and teaching these kids how to fight, while watching over you guys, is my first assignment." Yuffie looked over at Sora and Kairi, her face beaming.

"And the King chose a volunteer to go with him, in order to ensure that Axel didn't kill anyone or set something on fire just for the heck of it. I'm pretty sure the King didn't want to send me, but Squall probably talked him into it. Something about me being too much of a hassle sometimes." Yuffie pouted, and Sora laughed. He knew exactly what Leon would say if he knew that Yuffie called him 'Squall". Axel looked at the younger pair of teens with interest.

"So, you two know who, or what you want to face in the simulator tomorrow?" Before Sora could even begin thinking, Kairi spoke up.

"Well," she began nervously, throwing a glance at Sora, "I kind of missed the final battle, so can we fight Xemnas…" Axel chuckled.

"You want to fight numero uno?" he asked. Kairi nodded her head. Axel turned to look at Sora. "Any objections?" As Sora couldn't think of any, seeing as how Kairi was nearly as good a fighter as he was, he shook his head. Kairi's eyes lightened and she squealed with joy, giving Sora a chocking hug over his neck.

"Thank you Sora," she said as she giggled.

"Kairi…" Sora slowly managed to hack out, his face turning purple. Her face turned from one of pure joy to concern.

"Yeah?" she asked. Sora gasped.

"Air!" Kairi giggled as she released him, Sora sucking in gulps of air.

"Stupid machine!" Sora and Kairi looked over to the simulator, only to see Axel banging his head on the metal door as he tried to get the thing to work. Yuffie cleared her throat to bring their attention back.

"Remember, you are still in detention, so while Axel is busy trying to program that thing to the final battle with Xemnas, you two can clean up the gym." She said sternly. Sora looked around for the first time.

The whole gymnasium floor was covered in chips, chunks, and splinters of wood from the two swords Sora and Kairi had been fighting with. There was also the odd splinter from another student's weapon, a splotch of blood where someone had been cut, and the odd shred of fabric from someone's uniform. None of the previously said articles came form Sora or Kairi, actually they didn't look as if they had been fighting at all, apart from their drenched clothes. Kairi grimaced.

"This is going to take for ever!" she moaned. Sora simply smirked.

"Kairi," he said, "get a garbage bag." She did what he told her, wondering why he was grinning. "Now stand over here," Sora took Kairi by the shoulders and placed her two steps up from the center of the base of the bleachers. Yuffie was looking with interest at Sora. He took her sword in his hand and told her to open the bag, and shake it out so it was usable. Kairi did what he told her, still confused. Still with a small smirk on his face Sora walked straight to the center of the gym. Kairi was about to yell at him, as she thought he was leaving, when he turned around. Sora placed both swords in his right hand and pointed their uneven tips straight at the open garbage bag.

"Magnega!"

Sora released the swords right as a vortex appeared in the back of the bag. The swords hovered in the air for a second before quickly following all the other debris, including the blood, into the bag. Kairi closed it as the gravitational pull from the spell faded.

"What are we going to use in the simulator tomorrow?" she asked Sora with worry on her face as she tossed the garbage bag at a stunned Yuffie.

"Don't worry Kairi," Axel said form the other end of the gym, still fuming at the computer, "You'll be in here tomorrow, so you can use your keyblades, if anyone is watching you besides me and Yuffie, and ask about them, I'll just say that your weapons are simulated." Sora looked at the former Nobody with gratitude.

"Thanks Axel." Axel dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"Don't mention it," he said, "just don't irritate me tomorrow, as I'm probably going to be up all night trying to get this demonically possessed contraption to work." Yuffie laughed.

"Don't worry Axel, I'll pitch in."

"That's why I'll be up all night. I heard about your programming skills or lack thereof from Cid." Yuffie snarled at him and pulled out her oversized shuriken.

"I think we'd better go," Sora nervously stated as he grabbed Kari's shoulders. She looked at him and nodded.

The two of them ran out of the room in fear as they began to hear a pained roar and the crackle of flames.

* * *

_Bet you didn't think it was Yuffie now did ya? I figured I'd make Kairi a good fighter in this because I thought that she would feel useless after Sora left her in Hollow Bastion, plus she was fighting just as well as Riku in the Castle that Never Was. You know the scene, when DiZ and Mickey show up on the balcony above and observe her and Riku fighting Heartless._

_Reviews Welcome! If you're a closet reader, review anyway! I just want to see how many people are reading this!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	6. Magic Tutorial

_Thank you to all those who review, I never knew that my story would get so popular so quickly._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter VI: Magic Tutorial

Sora and Kairi fled from the training room as Axel and Yuffie began to scrap. When they had reached the end of the hallway, they both bent down panting, before laughing hysterically.

"So," Kairi said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "what do you think Yuffie will do to Axel?" Sora straightened up grinning, as he finally managed to get his own laughter under control.

"Oh," he said, "she'll probably slice him into tiny bits before using his own flames to cook him." Kairi began giggling as they started walking towards the entrance of their high school. _That's Yuffie_, she thought. It being the first day, they had really received no homework, and were ready to take advantage of about three hours of time before Kairi had to be home. Before they could leave however, an announcement came on over the intercom.

"Would all remaining staff please meet in the security room," said the secretary's monotone voice. As Sora and Kairi looked at each other with confused looks a loud bang at the end of the hallway drew their attention. Yuffie and Axel were running out as fast as they could, each using the little nozzle at the top of a potion bottle to spray their wounds. Sora and Kairi heaved themselves to opposite sides of the hallway as their teachers ran past. Before they got out of range, Axel turned and yelled at them while running backwards.

"You might want to teach the princess some magic for tomorrow Roxas!" Sora's face grew annoyed.

"That's Sora!" he retorted, "and watch out!" Axel turned just in time to slam headfirst into a wall.

"Ow…" he moaned. Yuffie ran back up to him and dragged him behind her. Kairi squealed with delight.

"I finally get to learn how to use magic," she cried out, overjoyed at the prospect of learning what Sora had used to clean the gym not ten minutes later. Sora shook his head.

"It won't be easy Kairi, and you probably won't be able to do much tomorrow so I'll teach you something else as well." Her eyes widened and her face beamed.

"So," she asked with a twinkle in her eyes, "what are you teaching me?" Sora grinned and cocked his head.

"It's a surprise."

Yuffie and Axel ran to the security room as fast as their legs could carry them each of them wondering what the staff meeting was about.

"Y'know," Axel said, as they entered, "you could have warned me about that wall Yuf." She huffed and shrugged her shoulders. Axel looked past the five other staff that had remained in the school over to the headmaster who was standing by a television screen. "What's the meeting for chief?" The headmaster, a short stout man with jet-black hair and a broom brush mustache, looked at Axel with intrigue.

"Funny you should say that Mr. Axel," he said even though his facial expression did not indicate one of humor, "as this meeting is dealing with a tape our security cameras recorded during your last class." Axel and Yuffie paled. Yuffie laughed nervously.

"Wha- whatever do you mean headmaster?" He smirked at her and turned to his aide.

"Play the tape," he ordered. His aide hit the play button on the VCR and the screen began showing a clip from Sora and Kairi's fight. A certain clip that contained Sora using Quick Run. Yuffie began sweating bullets and Axel simply tried to keep his cool as the tape carried on with the rest of their fight, and Sora's use of Magnega, as well as the few short moments of Yuffie and Axel fighting.

_Thank the stars that there's no audio on that tape_, Yuffie thought. The headmaster turned to look at the two weapons training teachers while the rest of the staff stood dumbfounded at the now blank screen.

"So," he began, his gaze shifting between the two, "how do you explain this?" Yuffie began pulling her collar, as she tried to think up of an answer, but Axel was one step ahead of her.

"Well, chief it seems to me that Sora and Kairi are two most excellent combatants, probably the best in the school if I may be so bold as to reckon," he said smoothly before continuing, "and it seems to me that Sora picked up magic from somewhere." Yuffie turned to Axel with a look that most clearly expressed her gratitude. The headmaster was taken aback with how well and how quickly Axel gave his answer, but he quickly masked his shock.

"That seems like a very good explanation Mr. Axel, but how do you explain your scrap with a fellow colleague." Axel simply laughed.

"I said something that she seemed to take offense to sir, and she attacked me. I would just like to say here and now that I apologize." Axel winked as he looked at Yuffie, while she placed her hands on her hips with an annoyed expression on her face. "If that'll be all headmaster we must away, I have work that needs doing." Axel bowed and motioned for Yuffie to leave first before the headmaster could recover. When they were in the clear, they started laughing.

"You sly fox," Yuffie said punching his arm. "You were really good in there." Axel grinned.

"I know," he began, his eyes glowing, before shouting in Yuffie's face, "WHO'S YOUR DADDY?!" Yuffie backed away before answering with a smirk.

"You're not my daddy, but I will admit that you're awesome." Axel's grin slowly slipped off his face.

"I have to try and get that infernal machine to work properly," he said before stalking away. "Go find that Riku kid, tell him what's going on, and ask him to come see me. I want this to be as authentic as possible." Yuffie sighed before skipping away, there's no sense in arguing with an insane pyro.

* * *

"So what's the surprise lesson?" Kairi asked for what Sora had counted to be the fifty-second time as they approached the beach.

_She really wants to know Sora._ Roxas said in the back of his mind.

_I know that Roxas just give me a second!_ Sora stopped at the shore.

"Okay," he said, "time to start your lesson." Kairi looked around uncertainly. _Umm… she thought, practice magic here?_ She looked at Sora inquisitively, but his face was screwed up in concentration. Suddenly she saw a bright star in the blue sky slowly growing closer and closer to where they were. Sora opened his eyes and looked at the star with a gleam in his eyes. He turned to Kairi just as she could make out that the star was really a little blonde girl with wings clad in a green dress. "Your flying lesson," he finished with a smile.

Kairi hopped up and down in excitement. Normally she never got as excited about things as Selphie did, but flying and magic really took the cake! _Sweet I get to fly!_ She thought loudly to herself.

_Kairi keep it down_, Naminé whined in her head, _I'm trying to sleep here!_

_Oh, so that's why you haven't been talking much!_ Kairi exclaimed.

Naminé mentally winced. _Yes! Do you know how much energy it takes to pin Roxas to the ground and force him back into Sora? Now shut up!_

Kairi grinned and noticed that Sora was having a conversation with the pixie. Sora seemed to be trying to defend himself.

"C'mon Tink can't you help us out?" he pleaded. Tink gave a few chimes that sounded like bells. "What do you mean not her? I have to teach Kairi how to fly!" more chimes. "You will? Great!" three more chimes. "Okay, what do I have to do?" Sora asked glumly. Tink then gave seven chimes. Sora's face was one of shock. "Pay for your what?" Tink then angrily chimed like a storm. Sora hastily tried to calm her down as Kairi giggled. Watching Sora haggling with her is funny. "Okay okay, fine I'll do it. How much?" Sora said with resignation. Tink seemed to think for a few seconds before chiming. Sora was astounded. "250 munny! Okay, fine take it," he said, handing her the munny. Tink happily chimed something Kairi took to be 'thank you' before flying over top of the duo and showering them with a golden dust. Kairi cutely sneezed. Tink took offense and quickly flew off; only stopping long enough to fill a box Sora had protruded from his backpack with the golden dust.

"What was that? And what's the box for?" Kairi inquired. Sora smiled.

"Pixie dust," he explained, zipping the box back in his pack, "you need it to fly. I had to pay for Tinker Bell to go on a trip to the spa in order for her to give you some." Kairi giggled as she wondered to what length Sora would go to do something for her. _I hope he just doesn't follow Riku and turn to darkness, she thought, then again, that just wouldn't be Sora._

"So," Kairi asked, voicing her concern, "how do you fly? And won't people, you know, see us?" Sora laughed, as he looked skyward.

"There are quite a few clouds out Kai," he said as he slowly began to float off the ground. "We'll just fly high enough so that the clouds hide us as we fly to the island." Kairi's eyes narrowed as she looked down at her own feet. They were still firmly on the ground. She looked back at Sora whose toes were just skimming the sand.

"Okay, but you still haven't answered my question," she said, placing her hands on her hips. Sora frowned.

"Huh? That's funny." He said plopping onto a nearby rock and resting his chin in his hand.

"What's funny?" pressed Kairi, leaning forward a little.

"I guess I never really though about it before," Sora said, before a eureka look struck his face. "That's it! Just think of a wonderful thought." Kairi face melted form an inquiring one to one of ecstasy.

"Any happy little thought?"

"Yep," Sora answered simply with a smile as he started rising again.

"You mean like Christmas?" Kairi asked, her eyes full of wonder. Sora smirked and flew a quick lap around Kairi and started to softly sing.

"_Just think of a wonderful thought,"_ Kairi closed her eyes.

"_Any merry little thought…"_ she began searching her brain for something that brought warmth to her heart.

"_Think of Christmas, think of snow…"_ her mind settled on the boy flying on his back around her while sweetly serenading her. Sora, she thought as her feet slowly left the ground. She opened her eyes and started flapping her arms wildly, praying she wouldn't tumble to the ground. Sora grabbed her arm and she looked up at him (as he was about two feet higher from the ground than her). His blue eyes were gently captivating her as he continued to sing.

"_Think of sleigh bells off you go,"_ Kairi shrieked as Sora started accelerating very quickly, bringing them up into the sky like they were just shot out of a cannon, "_like a reindeer in the sky._" He released her from behind a cloud and started flying around Kairi again. "_You can fly, you can fly, you can fly, you can fly, you can fly…_" Kairi began laughing as she kept her mind on the boy circling her with grace. _Sora,_ she thought, _you are something_. He stopped rounding her and "stood" in front of her.

"C'mon Kai," he laughed, "just will yourself to go forward, and you will." She laughed at the absurdity of how easy it was, but decided to try it out. She spotted a seagull and reverted instinctively to a little child wanting to catch it. Her body started going flat as she accelerated towards it, chasing it around the sky like a missile. Sora laughed at her antics. "You think you want to practice some magic now" after she succeeded in driving the bird away (which took about ten minutes). She turned to him and smiled.

"Actually," she said closing her eyes for a second as her keyblade appeared in her hand. Sora raised his eyebrow. "Since our match was interrupted," Kairi opened her eyes and got herself into a fighting stance, "wanna go?" Sora chuckled as the Oblivion appeared in his hand.

"Air combat 101, prepare to be annihilated." Sora chuckled before flying like a bullet straight at Kairi. She could barely block the slash he threw he was moving so quickly! As the clang of metal resounded through the air Sora wove around Kairi and placed the Oblivion's key against her back. "Dead," he said with a grin. Kairi turned to face him, slightly angry at how fast he won.

"Fine," she pouted, "since I can't win due to your grossly unfair advantage, can we practice magic now?" Sora turned his back on her and began surveying the island, only to feel the cool metal of the tip of Kairi's keyblade on the side of his neck. "Dead," she said, giving a small giggle. Sora turned to face her.

"So that's the way you want it?" he asked, arrogantly whacking her keyblade away with his own and pointing it at her neck. She playfully whacked the Oblivion away with a clang. A spark flew off. They both smiled and started to playfully scrap. They slashed, blocked, and parried each other's blows while, weaving, dodging, and circling each other on three planes.

Sora artfully spun and quickly descended to avoid Kairi's thrust. Before she could look down he zipped behind her. Sora looked up with a smirk to see if she knew where he'd gone, before giving a small gasp, and averting his eyes, his face flushing. _Why do they make the girls wear skirts?_ he asked himself. Kairi heard his gasp and turned to him.

"You can't hide Sora," she teased a smile on her face, before noticing that he wasn't looking at her. "Sora," she asked her arms crossed, "why are you blushing?" Kairi then truly noticed just where Sora was in relation to her. Suddenly, Kairi became very coy. "Were you, were you looking up my skirt Sora?" she asked, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"It was an accident," Sora said exasperatedly, his face beet red as Kairi began descending to his height. "I just looked up to see if you knew where I was, and well…" Kairi placed a finger on his lips and shushed him.

"It's okay," she said, although he wouldn't meet her eyes, "we're very good friends Sora, it's okay if these things happen now and then, especially if we're flying." Sora sighed. "Besides," she continued very coyly, "it's not like you walking in on me after I got out of the shower or something."

_Don't think about that, don't think about that, don't think about that._

"ROXAS!" Sora yelled as his face grew hot, "I'm going to KILL YOU!" Kairi shook her head.

"What did he say?"

"You don't want to know," he muttered, before quickly meeting her gaze and placing his keyblade by her neck. "Dead," he said, a twinkle in his eyes. Kairi simply smirked and tapped him with her own keyblade. Sora looked down. Kairi had tapped him on his inner thigh, the blade resting about twenty centimeters from his crotch. Kairi laughed as Sora looked back at her with stunned wonder.

"Looks like another draw, eh Sora?" Kairi teased playfully. "Can we practice some magic now?" Sora began looking at the island again.

"Hm…" he said after about a minute of searching for a place they could secretly set stuff on fire, "how about the cove?" Kairi flew over and air stood beside him.

"Race you to the tree with the star on it," she challenged. Sora looked at her with a look that said, "you're on" before shooting off like a bullet. "Sora!" Kairi pouted before rocketing after him. Constantly descending was slightly harder than Kairi anticipated, and it took her a few seconds to get used to continually adjusting her altitude.

Sora was waiting for Kairi as she landed. "What took you so long?" he asked. She placed her hands on her hips.

"Someone, not naming names, didn't wait for me," she said. Sora chuckled and put his hands behind his head.

"Hey, you wanted to race," he said playfully. His face then became more serious. "Now about magic… what element would you like to learn first?" Kairi put her finger to her chin and began thinking. _What do I want to learn? It has to be good, but it also has to be simple. Sora's magnega spell was probably complex and way out of my league. What about fire?_ Kairi's face lightened as she realized what she wanted to learn first.

"Well, fire's cool. How about it teacher?" Kairi said playfully, yet respectfully. Right now, Sora was her teacher, and she was going to do her best to learn from him and impress him. He smiled at her jest, and took it all in stride. _Now,_ Sora thought, _how did Merlin and Donald put this?_ Not finding an answer, he then thought about how he felt when he used magic.

"Well," he said clapping his hands together, "magic is actually pretty simple, and isn't as complex as people think. It just takes practice and a bit of mental energy. In order to use magic," he explained, while the Oblivion appeared in his right hand, "it is easiest to channel it through a weapon, although if you're good you can use it without one. The key to using elemental magic is to feel the element, to be the element. Once the element is yours to control, you can do anything with it you put your mind to if you are capable enough. For example with fire, you can create a ring of it, condense it into a fireball, make it a firecracker or fireworks, or do something really cool that I just thought up." Sora raised his keyblade and pointed it at the beach. "Firaga!" he yelled. Instead of fireballs circling or a fireball shooting out, flames began to spiral from his keyblade towards the sand, forming a corkscrew. Looking from the side, you could see an corkscrew of fire heading into the sand, but Sora wasn't done, as the spiral of flame touched the sand he let loose the second part. A raging inferno sprang forth from the Oblivion's tip and filled the entire confines of the corkscrew. Kairi's brow began sweating, not from heat, as all the heat was maintained to within half a foot of the flames, but from the sheer awesomeness of Sora's firaga spell. Sora broke his concentration, and the fire died, leaving a patch of molten glass on the beach. He collapsed on his knees and panted for a few seconds, the exertion had somewhat drained him. Kairi knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked. Sora stood up.

"Yeah, that just wore me down a bit." He shook his head in his hand for a bit before looking back at Kairi and resuming his lecture. "Such use for a spell can ensnare enemies before burning them to a crisp. Remember, an element can be used in any appropriate way you can think of, it's all in visioning it. You ready to have a go with fire?" Kairi bit her lip nervously; she had never used magic before, but decided to give it a try. Her eyes became set as she nodded. Kairi looked at her keyblade before holding it in front of her and concentrating.

She felt the fire inside, wrapping all around her, licking her arms with their searing heat. Felt the wind roar and fan the fire around her. Unseen to her, flames began to wrap themselves around her keyblade as she struggled to capture the fire and tame it to her will. Sora looked in wonder at her keyblade, he had never seen that happen before. The fire grew and consumed the blade as Kairi struggled to grasp it. Finally, she felt it click; she held the fire to her by force of will alone. Fire was her element, and she was its master. The external flames melted into her blade before exiting through the tip and forming a fireball. When Kairi could no longer maintain her hold, she let out a cry.

"Fire!" she yelled, her eyes snapping open revealing the fire within. The fireball shot out towards the sand. But Kairi's aim was off, and instead landed on a patch of grass, which quickly caught fire what with the power of her fire spell. Kairi collapsed on the ground, her energy spent. Before Sora could congratulate her, or see if she was alright, he had to get the fire under control before it was an inferno. _I need a new element_, he thought desperately. _Water,_ he realized, _I need water_. Sora closed his eyes and pointed the Oblivion at the blaze. He heard the sound of the waves pounding in his ears as he felt the cool sensation of running water flowing over his body. He heard the roar and smelt the foam of the great waterfalls in the Deep Jungle, he tasted the salt water of the oceans in Atlantica. Sora grasped at a raging river and claimed it for his own, and snapped his eyes open.

"Water!" he yelled. A geyser sprang forth from the Oblivion's tip and rushed the spreading flames. Sora directed the flow at their base as he doused the trees and fought the flames back to the beach. A lone firefighter he was, only limited in his supply by his mental strength. When at last the task was done he released his hold on his keyblade and let in vanish in a flash of light. Sora smirked, _I have a new toy_, he thought. He turned towards Kairi and knelt beside her, propping her up with his arm. She looked up at him and he gave her a comforting smile.

"Are you sure you never used magic before Kai?" he asked, offering her his hand. She took it and wearily came to her feet. Before she could steady herself, she fell back down. "Kairi!" he said, his voice quivering in anxiety. Kairi looked back up at him.

"I never knew how much magic takes it out of you," she wearily said. Sora smiled sympathetically at her.

"It can Kairi," he said, "but with practice, your mental reserves and strength grow, and you can use more magic more often. Besides, that was a powerful fire spell for a first timer." Kairi smiled.

"You mean," she said slowly, "I'm good." Sora chuckled.

"Better than good," he replied, "you were excellent. The first time I used fire, my fireballs were only half that size." He looked at his watch. "We'd better be going, you think you have the strength to fly?" Kairi shook her head. She was feeling too drained and consumed right now to do much of anything. Sora sighed and picked her up. Kairi held onto him with one arm, onto her keyblade with the other. They lifted off, and high in the sky Kairi looked at the beauty of the islands beneath her, and then at her keyblade. Inside the metal she swore she could see the flames merrily dancing inside, ready to come out when she called. She also noticed that it held a slight glow, and the deep red on the end had become a bright crimson, while the sandy gray had turned to gold. The flowery tip was radiant and the hilt was dimly shining. Kairi looked back down on the islands before speaking.

"I think I know now what to call my keyblade," she quietly said to Sora as they began flying through the golden street lit during dusk. Sora looked down at Kairi.

"What?" he asked. She looked into his eyes.

"Island's Fire," she said before letting it go in an array of white sparkles.

Sora landed on her balcony, and set her down. Kairi wobbled a little as she stood, but she grabbed onto Sora to steady herself. She looked into Sora's eyes again and felt her heart melt. My happy thought.

"Get some rest Kairi," Sora told her, but not without care, "it's going to be a big day tomorrow." Before she entered her room, Kairi quickly gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks for everything today, Sora," she said before disappearing into her room. Sora didn't just stand in shock, he started floating as a smile was brought to his heart.

"Kairi," he said to himself as he silently glided to the other side of the street to begin walking home, "you are something."

* * *

_Big chapter, at least for me it is. I hope you guys like it. And if you were wondering before about me making Kairi a good fighter, at least unlike some other fanfics I don't have her automatically being good without giving an explanation._

_Please Review_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	7. Vs Xemnas

_Thank you everyone for the reviews! I have a present for you all, a new chapter! Please leave a review if you wish._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or any Disney songs/scenes I take from._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter VII: vs. Xemnas

Riku was sitting at Destiny Island's Ice Cream Parlor, enjoying a delicious banana split under a parasol. He was silently wondering how Sora and Kairi's first day back when while reminiscing his own. He chuckled to himself when he recalled Jason knocking himself out with his own sword in his own Weapons Training class. Riku however, didn't have Yuffie and Axel as teachers. So when he heard someone shout 'Riku!' he was not prepared for what he saw. Riku looked up and saw a girl around eighteen with a pale face and short black hair wearing a red headband and a black outfit.

Riku having never seen Yuffie before in his life wondered who this could be, until he noticed that she fit the exact description that Sora gave them for Yuffie. Yuffie's face lit up with one of happiness for finding her quarry. She ran towards Riku, who rose from his table with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Um… Yuffie right?" he said, extending his hand. Yuffie shook his offered hand.

"Miss Yuffie Riku," she said. "I'm one of the new weapons training teachers," Yuffie explained noticing his increasingly puzzled look. Riku nodded his head in understanding.

"So," he began while pulling out a chair for her to sit on, "you are one of Mickey's representatives?" Yuffie took the seat and ordered a chocolate sundae before answering. Riku took another scoop of ice cream from his split.

"Yep, and Axel's the other one." Riku stiffened, and a small dollop of the creamy substance slipped off the spoon and onto his lap. Riku took no notice that his plaid blue uniform shorts were being stained white.

"Axel," he chocked out, his eyes hardening in anger. Yuffie became alarmed.

"No, no," she said in haste, "Axel's on our side now. There's no need to be upset." Riku softened, a little.

"Okay, I believe you, for now," he said before suddenly feeling a cold liquid on his lap. "Oh, crap," he moaned before taking a napkin to it. Yuffie laughed.

"You should be more careful Riku," she teased. Riku chuckled and flashed a grin.

"Well, you startled me with that Axel's a teacher too comment." Riku then realized what he said. "Axel's a teacher too?" he loudly questioned Yuffie. She waved her hands in front of her in self-defense as her sundae arrived.

"Don't worry Riku," she said, "he hasn't killed anyone, yet." Riku chuckled before remembering the letter the King sent.

"So, what was it the King said we-" Yuffie cut him off with a warning glance.

"Not here," she said quietly, "I have to take you back to the school anyway, so we'll talk there." Riku raised his eyebrows. He wiped some of his long silver hair from his eyes.

"Why do I have to go back to the school?" Yuffie looked up from her sundae.

"Oh, Sora and Kairi performed excellently in our class today," she began, "and the prize for the two bets combatants is to go in the simulator tomorrow." She stopped, not really wanting to continue. Riku pressed her.

"Go on," he prodded. Yuffie decided that giving him a half-truth would be better for the moment.

"Axel needs help programming the simulator for tomorrow," Yuffie said. Riku sighed.

"So he heard I'm in programming?" he asked shaking his head. "I don't see why I should help him, but it was in the King's letter so, let's go." He continued shaking his head in resignation as Yuffie got up and prepared to pay for their sweets. Riku placed a hand on her shoulder. "My treat," he said with a small smile. Yuffie smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said, "Squall never buys me anything. I have to buy all the sea-salt ice cream myself." Riku laughed as they walked out.

"I guess that can empty a great ninja's pocketbook huh?" She nodded her head.

"One of the reason's we decided to get jobs as teachers while en route." Riku gasped, his eyes wide in shock.

"You come here to keep an eye on us, and to earn money you decide to become teachers?" he postulated. Yuffie giggled as they approached the top of the hill overlooking the high school.

"Not a very good choice huh?" Riku shook his head weakly. They walked in silence to the front doors, just as Yuffie took out her keys to unlock them, they heard a very distant 'Roxas I'm going to KILL YOU!'. They both looked up, and noticing nothing besides two very small specks in the sky, looked back at each other and shrugged as Yuffie unlocked to school.

When they got to the sparring gym, they arrived inside a room bathed in fire as Axel pounded his head repeatedly on the brick wall.

"This stupid contraption won't work!" he cried in vain.

"Don't worry Axel," Yuffie called, "I've brought the guy you need." Axel looked round with a 'huh', and noticing the two new occupants of the room, quickly magically put out the searing flames, leaving not a trace that a fire had even been burning. Riku cleared his throat as he stepped towards the console, glaring at Axel.

"So, what are you trying to do?" he asked the miffed spiky red head. Axel smirked.

"You mean you don't know," he said in an arrogant tone. "You don't know that I'm trying to program this hunk of junk into the final battle with Xemnas." Riku's eyes grew wide in shock as he rounded his head to look at Yuffie. She looked down at her shoes before closing the door. Riku looked up at Axel.

"I'm going to call my folks and tell them I have to stay at school to help a teacher for the night," he said pulling out his cell phone. Axel nodded and stepped forward to the keyboard and tried to begin debugging the pitiful simulation he wrote.

Two hours later Riku remembered the King's letter and looked up from the keyboard after saving what they had written so far.

"What did the King mean in his letter about something we forgot, or Heartless attacking?" he asked the two representatives. They looked at each other and sighed.

"What we're about to tell you," Axel began a warning flashing in his teal eyes, "must not go beyond this room. You must tell no one, especially," his eyes bulged, "Sora or Kairi." Riku stood still for a long while wondering why they wouldn't want him to tell his two best friends. Slowly, he nodded. The two relaxed and smiled sadly. Axel began again. "What you guys and the King forgot, was Maleficent."

Riku's eyes grew wide in shock as he remembered the evil witch with black horns and shuddered. Suddenly the last words he had heard her speak rang in his ears in her eerie voice,

"_Sora, your Majesty, don't forget. After I've destroyed them all this castle will be MINE!_" Yuffie continued for Axel with tears beginning to leak down her face.

"We have a spy in her organization, and we've learned her plans." Yuffie choked out as she broke down. "She wants to turn Sora into a Heartless!" she cried out, the tears streaming down her face. Quite suddenly she latched onto Riku, who unluckily or not, was the closest to her, and began crying into his shoulder. Riku was stunned. Even though he had never met Yuffie before today, the stories Sora had told them about the Radiant Garden gang were enough to know that they were all strong willed and powerful people, who didn't succumb to despair easily. All Riku could do right now for the girl crying into his shoulders was to pat her on the back and try to comfort her.

"Don't worry Yuf," he cooed softly to her, "Sora won't go down easily. He has all of us to protect him." He lifted her chin so she could look into his kind eyes as he wiped away a tear with his thumb. "That's why the King sent you. Sora would only go down if he were too busy protecting the people he loves, like Kairi. Mickey sent you because he knew Sora would have to leave the islands if he was to be saved from heartless ripping out his heart and making him one of them. You're here to make sure he leaves at the first sign of trouble, and then defend the islands, right?" Yuffie looked into his eyes with wonder before snuggling into his shoulder, sniffling a 'yes'. Axel raised his eyebrows at Riku.

"Aren't you the insightful one?" he said, as Yuffie started to fall asleep in Riku's shoulder. "Why can't I get that lucky with women?" he asked nobody in particular. Riku shrugged and gently laid the sleeping Yuffie down on the bleachers before swiping Axel's red hoodie and placing it over her as a blanket. Riku gave Axel a look that Axel took to mean, 'Tell anyone what just happened and I will make your life a living hell.'

"Let's get back to work."

* * *

A further three hours later, Riku was started banging his head on the wall, which by now had a substantial dent in it. The program's three and a half thousand lines of code seemed fine, but whenever they tried to run a simulation, it died and came up with an error message!

"I don't get it!" Axel yelled to the heavens, "the code is fine! Why won't it work?" Riku refrained from his head banging and glumly returned to the console that was making his life hell for the current moment. Riku looked at it again for several minutes in a very analytical way before his eyes widened in horror.

"Axel, kill me," was all he laughed out, his head hanging in shame. Axel summoned his chakrams in a fiery blitz with a demented look on his face.

"Why?" he asked. Asking why was only a formality after all when you're killing a friend. Riku kept his head down.

"Because we've been writing a two dimensional program for a three dimensional environment." Axel's eyes grew wide in shock, before anger took hold and he flew at Riku, eyes blazing.

* * *

Sora was thrashing in his sleep trying to piece together his feelings for Kairi. Blissful thoughts of she kissed me kept floating in his mind. What did all this mean? Why did she make him feel like he was on cloud nine every time she sent a smile his way? Why did she kiss him? Why was she his own happy thought? Why? Why? Why?

_Why does that memory pain you so?_ Roxas piped up from the back of his mind, all previous thoughts of revenge on Sora gone. Now he was going to help his other, and friend.

_I don't know,_ Sora replied as it went through his head for the fifth time that night.

_Maybe it's because you care more for Kairi than you've admitted._ Sora's face became puzzled.

_Huh?_

_Well think about it,_ Roxas responded. _You had just learned that after thinking Kairi was safe at home she was kidnapped, and before you could learn where she was in order to see if she was okay, your only willing source of information vanished. Then when you asked if you could go to her, de-nied!_

_I know Roxas!_ Sora telepathically yelled, before his face softened and he said quietly,_ I know, Roxas._ Roxas decided to take a different approach.

_Do you like Kairi Sora?_ It was blunt, but blunt can get the job done.

_More than like her,_ Sora said back, an almost dreamy look on his face,_ I l…_

_Yes?_

_I, I don't know_, Sora thought, his face becoming one of uncertainty as he turned his head to gaze out of the window. He looked towards the little island and his eyes filled with the sight of the Secret Place, not even lingering on the large wooden door at the end, but resting firmly on the rock he and Kairi had drawn sharing paopu fruits with another at different times.

Sora finally grew tired, but one last thought he thought before succumbing to sleep.

_Could it be, love?_

* * *

Kairi was having a similar conversation with Naminé in her own bed. She had to suffer her father's interrogation when she had somehow managed to arrive just before curfew, not from the front door, but from her own room. But she had managed to make up that she snuck in earlier and he didn't notice. She wasn't going to tell him about flying or magic yet. He would surely keep her home right after school if he knew about that.

_Why do you care so much about whether you can stay outside after school or get cooped up?_ Naminé asked.

_Because,_ Kairi argued, _I can't see Sora if I'm stuck here!_

_Why do you want to keep seeing Sora?_ Naminé teased.

_Because I l…_

_Yes?_ Naminè pressed.

_I love him,_ Kairi's face grew in amazement at her own proclamation to her Nobody.

_You love him?_

_Yes,_ Kairi felt as if one weight were being lifted off her shoulders for admitting to herself what her heart knew to be true, and a heavier one was being placed on. _But does he love me too?_

* * *

Riku lay face down on the floor of the simulation room, his bangs and clothes drenched in sweat. He slowly stood up and healed his wounds with one of his innumerable potions. Although he was beat up and covered in sweat, his face was one of satisfaction as he left the room.

Axel was waiting outside, a huge grin on his face and a large cup of steaming coffee in his hands. Yuffie had a smile on her face as she gave him a thumbs up from a little behind Axel. He looked at Riku as he exited and his insane grin widened.

"WE DID IT!" he yelled, clasping Riku's hand and drawing him into a guy hug.

"Yep," an equally exuberant Riku proclaimed. "The transparent holographic images are of superb quality and believability, simulation characters are astounding and highly accurate, terrain textures are accurate, and all physical damage done to user is real and curable." He gestured towards his slightly ripped and bloodstained school uniform. There wasn't a cut or scratch on him, despite the clearly fresh evidence. Yuffie gave him a look.

"What does all that techno-babble mean?" she asked. Riku laughed.

"It means it works perfectly." Yuffie smiled in understanding and nodded her head.

"So," Axel started, the adrenaline from finally turning the hunk of junk into a boss battle that would make Sora cringe of déjà vu for weeks still coursing in him, "you going to be present for Sora and Kairi's performance?"

"You know it," Riku smirked, "though I will need a note from a teacher to skip my block four class to come here." Axel waved his hand, and out of a sudden fiery conflagration came a note, without a charred corner or scorch mark on it.

"Already done, I wrote it up during the latest test." Riku took the note and walked over to the keyboard. He looked up at the monitor. It was currently playing a recording of the last use of the simulator. Riku watched as he and a simulation Sora defeated Xemnas again. Riku had already had enough cases of déjà vu in the last hour to never want to go through that fight again. He changed the active window and brought up the program. Just to make absolutely sure that they would have it in case of any problems, Riku saved it, saved it in another folder, saved it in another folder under a different name, and took out a jump drive and saved it on that too. Axel walked over to him just as he was finishing. "Nothing going to stop us now eh?" Riku nodded, and looked back at the monitor. Axel had switched it back to the fight recording and Xemnas was disappearing in a flash of light.

"You can watch on the screen?" Riku asked. Axel grinned.

"Yep, live feed."

"Does it use the same camera as the security one in there?" Axel paled slightly.

"I forgot about that camera, but no it doesn't. The computer has visual sensors throughout the room. It records and plays live feed whenever a simulation is running. It doesn't bother to record when it isn't running, who wants to watch an empty room right?" Yuffie approached the two and placed her hands on her hips.

"Sora mentioned to me earlier that I had promised him a party back on Radiant Garden. You guys think we should have it for after school today? In celebration of getting through the fight with Xemnas?" The two guys looked at each other and nodded their heads. Axel spoke up again.

"What kind of food are you thinking of serving?" he asked. Riku spoke up before she had a chance to answer.

"As long as there's pie, I'm there." Yuffie looked offended.

"What are you crazy? Cake is way better than pie!" Riku glared at her and pulled out Way to the Dawn in a shimmering display. Its red blade and angle wing key glinted in the gym's lighting. Yuffie glared at him for his incredible lack of taste, and pulled out her shuriken with a snarl. Axel shook his head as the two warriors faced each other off.

_I am so glad I melted that security cam before they arrived,_ he thought, watching the two adolescents now duke it out, neither scoring a hit. Suddenly, Axel had an idea.

"Hey you two," he yelled, succeeding in attaining their attention, if only for the moment, "why don't you two agree to disagree for now, and find out what they want to eat for the party?" Riku and Yuffie stopped fighting, Riku dismissing his keyblade.

"Fine," he snarled, before turning his gaze back to Yuffie. "I'll make you see the error of your pie hating days later, I need to sleep first." Yuffie laughed as he stalked away.

"Don't mess with your elders Riku, even if it is only by a year or two."

* * *

Sora was walking towards Kairi's house again this morning, still piecing together his feelings for her when he heard a shriek from around the corner. It sounded like Kairi!

_Not again,_ he thought. _I thought I told that guy Kairi didn't want to be with him._

_I guess he's very persistent,_ Roxas said, _remember what he said last time? That tough guys always get whoever they want?_

_He's not getting Kairi,_ Sora thought angrily as he began running. _We've been through too much to have people like him coming between us!_

_So does this mean you love her?_ Sora shook his head slightly before he rounded the corner.

_I don't know,_ he thought, _all I know is I have to keep her safe long enough for me to figure out._ Sora looked up. _He's brought backup._

_He's brought backup,_ Roxas agreed, stating the same thing.

Kairi was struggling against her attackers. There were about six of them this time, each of them holding some kind of crude weapon, several had bruises that appeared quite recent one of them was on the ground holding his crotch with both of his hands. Sora recognized the boy from yesterday holding his left hand to her face as two of his cronies held Kairi from the back, while in his right hand he held a bat.

"So where's your pretty boyfriend now?" he asked her in his greasy drawl, before slapping her in the face. Sora winced inside as he heard the sound echo throughout the neighborhood. He looked with tears forming in his eyes at Kairi. She was silently crying, a red mark appearing on her face. The boy smiled an evil smile. "I knew you'd come to love me," he cooed. His goons laughed grabbing their sides. Kairi looked down and silently mouthed 'where are you Sora?'

Anger rippled and boiled within Sora. That last remark chorused through his ears, sending adrenaline coursing through his veins. Sora shook with anger. His brow furrowed, has fists clenching and unclenching. _She doesn't love him_, Sora thought angrily, _she loathes him!_

_Then go save your damsel in distress you twitterpated fool!_ Sora didn't even answer Roxas, and began walking forward in forced calm. The boy and his goons looked up at the sound of his footsteps. They smirked.

"Looks like your friend Sora is here baby," he said to Kairi, forcing her head to look at Sora. Tears sparkled in her eyes. The boy snapped his fingers and the three thugs who were just standing around stood in front of Sora, blocking his path. One was holding a wrench, the other two, held switchblades.

"Please Bob," she pleaded, addressing her captor, "please don't hurt Sora." Sora stood stock still, stunned at the weakness in Kairi's voice. Bob just smiled as he slapped her again.

"I'm going to make an example of him doll," he spat at her, "I always get what I want." Kairi's face hardened in anger before looking back at Sora. She alone noticed sparks flying between his fingers.

"Get them Sora!" she ordered. Naminé faded in, interested in what Sora was about to do. Sora noticed she was suddenly standing next to Kairi, but didn't appear to acknowledge it. Kairi glanced at her Nobody, and saw her nod at Sora. She turned to face Kairi.

"Sora says he isn't going to kill them, but he wants you to be clear when he unleashed his attack. Do what he says when he commands." Kairi gave a tiny nod. Her captors had slightly lessened their hold on her arms. Kairi knew what to do when the time came.

Sora looked past the screen in front of him at Kairi. There was more on her than a red cheek from a slap. She was battered and bruised. Cuts dotted her arms, and there was a red line on her other cheek. The anger that was pulsing through Sora didn't surface on his face.

"I thought I told you," he said slowly, his eyes glinting at Kairi knowing she got his message, "that Kairi didn't want to be with you." Bob smirked.

"I think she does twerp," he retorted, "she just doesn't know it yet." Bob waved his hand and the three thugs standing in front of Sora charged. Executing an excellent back flip Sora gave Kairi his command.

"Fly!"

She elbowed one of the goons behind her in the stomach, grabbed the other on by his arm and threw him over her shoulder. Before they could grab her again she began hovering as she thought of her happy thought. She quickly soared high into the air to avoid any hands holding her down. Sora saw she was clear and raised his hand towards the group of six, who finally noticed the flashes of lightning between his fingers.

"Thundara!" he yelled, all of his pain and anger flowing from him. Lightning bolts flew from his fingers, electrocuting all six goons. They shook in agony as the electricity surged through them. After about two and a half seconds, Sora relieved them of their torture. They all fell on the ground, moaning in pain. Sora stepped up to Bob, and crossed his arms as Kairi landed next to him. Bob looked up, resignation claiming his visage.

"You, win," he said slowly, "we won't bother Kairi again." He got to his feet, and signaling his goons, stalked off, wincing at each move and rubbing their necks. Kairi jumped for joy and hugged Sora tightly, giving him another kiss on the cheek. Sora turned beet red as Roxas sniggered in the back of his mind. Kairi pulled back and smiled at him.

"My savior," she said, "how may I repay you?" Before Sora could answer, Kairi gasped in pain and clutched her side. Sora became upset, fearing for Kairi's well-being. His fingers glowed with a green light.

"Curaga," he said softly. Magical green tendrils poured out of his fingers and wrapped themselves around Kairi, healing every scrape, scratch, bruise, cut and blemish upon her body. She stood up straight and looked at Sora with admiration. He smiled, knowing she was now okay. "C'mon," he said kindly, "lets go." As they walked away, Naminé began pouting, until Roxas faded in. He took her arm.

"Don't worry Nam," he said, "I'll walk with you." She giggled as they followed their others.

* * *

Sora sat in front of the computer in the lab, his fingers not upon the keyboard, staring at the screen. He had reached that emotional chasm in his memory, when Saïx refused to take him to Kairi. Contemplating his feelings for her the previous night, as well as fighting for her this morning had finally caused a reaction with his memory. Realization struck him like a freight train at full speed. _I love her_, he thought. Seeing her that morning in pain had made him realize just what he wouldn't do for her, what he wouldn't give to be with her.

_Good boy_, Roxas quipped. Sora half turned to Kairi and was about to open his mouth when Roxas screamed at him. _WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU LOVE-STRUCK FOOL?_

_I was going to tell her I loved her._ Roxas sighed in exasperation.

_You don't do it here, now, surrounded by your classmates. You wait for the opportune moment._ Sora turned back to his computer in understanding and quickly typed through the memory. When he finished that, he lashed out at the now peaceful Roxas.

_Who do you think you are? Captain Jack Sparrow?_

* * *

Ten minutes before the bell rang, Sora saved his entire collected works, and began printing. He leapt up to the printer and watched the pages file out. A boy named Joe walked past the printer as Sora was waiting.

"You write an epic for that essay?" he asked as Kairi walked up and began waiting for Sora's to finish.

"Yep," Sora said, winking at Kairi. She giggled and watched Sora try to staple together his book before he handed it in. _We're going to get top marks on these for sure,_ she thought.

* * *

Sora and Kairi arrived at their fourth block class, each of their six classmates high-fiving them and giving them encouragement for their simulation run.

"You guys are going to ace it!" Selphie said, adding her encouragement. They smiled and thanked her for her support.

"They'd better." They looked in shock to see Riku standing next to Yuffie and Axel. Riku, too cool to wear a uniform for longer than the first day, was wearing a maroon t-shirt with a piece of cartoon cherry pie on it, and a pair of blue jeans. Yuffie, instead of her normal black top, had on an identical t-shirt, except hers was brown and had a piece of chocolate cake on it. Axel was still wearing his red hoodie with the King's symbol on it, a large mug of coffee in his hands.

"Ri- Riku!" Sora stammered, "what are you doing here?" Riku smiled.

"I helped Axel program that behemoth." He jabbed his thumb at the simulator door, which had a few dents in it. Kairi laughed nervously.

"How long did it take?" she asked. Axel laughed.

"Until 3 am," he said, "so none of you tick me off. I'm running off coffee." The class, especially Michael, twitched nervously. Axel looked at the two keyblade warriors. "Come here you two, I need to brief you before you enter." They stepped forward, Sora getting another slap on the back from Wakka. Riku and Yuffie glared at each other as they turned to look at Axel and the two teens. Riku smirked.

"Pie rules," he challenged. Yuffie raised her eyebrows.

"In your dreams," she retorted.

"Now," Axel said quietly to Sora and Kairi, so only they could hear, "although everything in there is a simulation, it is all real." Their eyes widened. Axel caught their looks and comforted them, "No, Xemnas isn't back for real, just everything that happens in there is real. All the damage and hits you sustain, you really took, and will still be real when the simulation is over. My only advice to you is, don't get killed." Axel smirked at their expressions, they were too good to describe in words. "You get one simulation buddy to help you out at the start before you're on your own. Who's it going to be?" They looked at each other, thinking, before glancing at Riku and nodding to each other.

"Riku," Sora stated. Axel and Riku grinned.

"Thought as much," Axel continued before his voice became one of warning, "don't pull out your keyblades until the simulation has started."

"Why?" Kairi asked. Axel waved a hand in front of her face.

"Doesn't matter why, you have to do as we say, got it memorized?" Sora sighed as Axel said his catch phrase.

"C'mon Kairi," he said, opening the metal door, "let's go." Kairi ran in, giving a wave at the people assembled.

"Wish us luck!"

"Good luck," the class chorused as the metal door clanged and locked closed.

* * *

Inside the room was rectangular, and really rather small. Blue wires crisscrossed along the floor, giving the teal metal a shining appearance.

"How are we going to fight in here?" Sora asked, clearly disappointed. Yuffie's voice came on over the intercom.

"Think Game Grid Sora," she said, her voice echoing through the room, "sometimes it's bigger, sometimes it's smaller. This room will get a lot bigger in a second." Axel's voice then came on.

"This is the last you'll hear from us until you're done kids, here you go." The walls began to flash with white as the simulation began.

* * *

Outside, Axel grabbed a very large bowl of popcorn and sat down to watch.

"Here we go," he, Riku, and Yuffie said in unison.

* * *

In the security room, the headmaster was watching from the simulation room security camera, making sure that it was gathering audio.

"Here we go," he said to himself.

* * *

Sora and Kairi opened their eyes. They were standing on a white platform that was covered in strange symbols. Around them were Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Riku, all of whom were staring at a large white door that stood next to a heart-shaped moon with a heart-shaped pink chunk in it.

They were standing on the Altar of Naught!

_This is incredible!_

Sora and Kairi looked at each other and nodded. They stepped forward and Mickey and Riku fell in next to them. All four of them pulled out their keyblades and pointed the tips together. A light began forming around them and they pointed them skyward. Four identical beams of light came forth, and the large door to Kingdom Hearts opened.

"Get ready Xemnas," Sora said, swinging the Oblivion in front of him, "it all ends here!" Kairi raised her eyebrows at Sora as the rest of the gang, including simulation Riku walked up the shimmering pathway towards the open door.

"Where have I heard that before?" she asked. Sora shrugged.

"Hey, I thought it best we keep this as original as possible," he whispered to her. Kairi nodded and they followed the others to the door.

* * *

"What are those cool weapons their holding?" Tidus asked. The whole class had assembled around the screen with Yuffie, Riku, and Axel in front on lawn chairs.

"Just something Riku and I cooked up," Axel said, "now be quiet, I'm trying to watch."

* * *

The gang walked through the door to Kingdom Hearts and entered a city. A large white castle-tower surrounded by a mechanical white dragon was in the distance. Sora gasped as he saw Xemnas.

"_So_," he said, "_it seems your hearts have led you to obliteration. Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart. I will have to be sure and remember that._" Xemnas waved his hand, and a very large building flew towards them. The group ran away from the collision site, except this time, Kairi did not run back through the door. They collapsed on the ground from the quake caused by the building crashing to the ground. The door closed, leaving King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy behind.

"No!" Riku cried. They got to their feet and faced the direction Xemnas lay in.

"We can take him on our own," Sora said while pulling out the Oblivion in a flash. Riku and Kairi followed suit with Way to the Dawn and Island's Fire. Together they ran forward down the alley, until buildings started rising from the ground towards them. Kairi smirked and rose into the air, flying above the constructs at a fast pace. She looked down to see how the others would get past. She saw Sora leap back before springing at the buildings, his keyblade swinging in a flurry. Kairi wondered why he would try to hack his way through. That would take forever. Then she saw him appear on the other side, crouched down. He opened his eyes, and the buildings started to fall apart. _He sliced right through them!_ Kairi thought in amazement as she landed next to him. They nodded and ran ahead under a silver striped archway.

"Wait up," simulation Riku yelled.

* * *

The class was sitting in shock as Riku, Axel, and Yuffie looked on, nonplussed by what just happened. They only noticed the class' attitude when Brittany couldn't hold it any longer.

"Kairi can fly!" she exclaimed.

"And Sora can chop buildings like butter yah?" Wakka asked. The three who knew the capabilities of the two in the simulation looked at each other and gave an uneasy chuckle.

* * *

The headmaster rubbed his chin. He knew there was something about those two after yesterday, but he never knew that it would be something this big.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Riku approached a platform that stood between them and Xemnas giant ship. It had two huge red cylinders with giant gray spokes protruding from them, in the center was a tower that held the ships power core, and the dragon's neck and head surrounded the top of the core. The three ran forward and the ship rose from the ground, and landed again with a thump that caused the platform to rise. Sora ran towards a square section knowing that one of the many buildings that had appeared in the sky would strike there. He was correct.

Before it could connect with his skull Sora jumped into the air and sliced it in two. Running along the cut pieces, Sora leap at another building and cut it in half, before doing the same thing again, and again, and again. Finally there were no more buildings for Sora to chop up. Sora jumped and flew straight for the right cylinder, Kairi rushing to his side in the air.

"You sure know how to leave nothing for us to do Sora," she yelled over the rushing wind. Sora chuckled as Riku joined them after a massive leap.

"Well don't worry Kai," Sora yelled back, "you'll have a few foes to fight very soon."

"If you two lovebirds are done," Riku yelled, the air flowing through his long silver hair, "we've arrived." Sora screwed up his face as he allowed himself to fall to the grate, not allowing simulation Riku to get to him. Nobody ships began appearing over their heads in flashes of light. The three of them slashed the ships into the cylinder as quickly as they could, Sora knowing what would happen if they failed. Before the cylinder could glow in intensity before it fired its huge laser cannon, they felt a rumble and saw explosions far off in its interior.

"Time to go," Sora said as he jumped off the grate and onto a set of pipes which he used to propel himself forward towards the other cylinder, which soon suffered the same fate. They jumped towards a hole in the ship's superstructure that held the energy core. _You'd think Xemnas would be smart enough not to leave an entryway to the power source of his ship_, Sora thought. They dropped down from the ceiling, their keyblades at the ready. The energy core was a large silver cylinder that rose and fell periodically, Organization XIII's emblem emblazoned in red upon its front half. "Kairi, stand back for a second," Sora ordered as they landed. She did what he told him, perplexed. "Riku!" he called as they began their limit, Eternal Session. The two of them leapt in the air, slashing at the energy core. Horizontal, diagonal, horizontal again, triple somersault vertical slice in the air. The two of them came back to back.

"Is that all you got?" Riku asked their inanimate foe. The two of them began stabbing it in earnest. Twice they made a combo before pulling back and shooting dark blue fireballs from their fingertips. _So this is what Sora meant when he said limits were cool_, Kairi thought. Sora and Riku stabbed it again. "I'll take him," Riku said arrogantly. Their keyblades grew with large blades made entirely of light attached to them. They slashed their hearts out before drawing thirteen identical swords of light out of the air and magically swinging them around themselves in a circle. They drew their keyblades out again after shooting the blades off in all directions, and proceeded in hacking away at the core. Suddenly they threw the Way to the Dawn and the Oblivion up in the air. "We're not going to lose at all!" Riku yelled.

"Light!" cried Sora simultaneously. The two keyblades glowed and issued forth blinding lights that severely damaged the core. "Riku," Sora called as their keyblades appeared back in their hands as the limit ended.

"Time's up," he said pounding Sora's outstretched fist. Kairi jumped back into the fray.

"I'm in," she said before trying to strike the core. A purple-pink magic barrier appeared round the energy core, preventing them from attacking it further. She noticed that Nobodies had surrounded them. "Guess we have to beat these guys before we can hack up the core again, right?" she asked Sora. He nodded and grinned at her.

"You catch on pretty quick," he said before charging a creeper and beating it into dust.

* * *

"Riku, can you and Sora actually do that?" Yuffie asked inquisitively raising an eyebrow as Axel took another handful of popcorn from his bowl. The six people who made up the rest of the class slowly turned their heads to look at Riku. _Who cares if they know now,_ he thought.

"Yes, Miss Yuffie," he said, biting down on the 'Miss', "we can. Its called Eternal Session." The class looked in wonder at Riku before looking back at the screen, where Sora and Simulation Riku were currently using Session again on an Assassin Nobody. Axel looked almost sadly at the Assassin before he and all others of his kind present met their fate at the end of the Limit.

"Poor little buggers," he said, "I liked them better when they actually did what I told them. All they want is a heart." He left the six people who knew absolutely nothing to speculate in silence for he would say no more.

* * *

The Headmaster, and a large portion of the faculty, watched as the three teens were held at bay from destroying the core again by the appearance of more Nobodies. Some members of the staff winced when they heard the crunch of Kairi and Sora being knocked back by the lone Berserker's claymore.

"How long have they been fighting?" one teacher asked.

"Fifteen minutes," the Headmaster replied.

* * *

Sora dodged a metal beam from the ceiling that would have skewered him before continuing his assault against the energy core. Finally, it stopped moving and a light shone from the emblem. He stood next to Kairi and Riku before the light magically transported them to the Dragon's head. Sitting upon a metallic throne beneath the crest of Organization XIII was Xemnas, wearing armor with the crest upon it and a great big golden crown. Sora rippled in anger as he stared down his simulation adversary again. The three teens tightened their grip on their respective keyblades and launched themselves at him.

Xemnas wouldn't go down that easily however, before they could touch him, he waved his hand and a barrier appeared. They ran into it and were flung backwards by its warding power. Water clones of Demyx and Luxord's playing cards surrounded them. Sora flipped and landed on his feet, the adrenaline in him blocking the pain. He launched himself at Xemnas again as soon as the barrier was gone, dodging the powers of foes he had defeated. Kairi and Riku joined in his assault on the besieged Xemnas, hacking away at him as best as they could, fending off the attacks he threw at them with his long blade, the hilt of which was fashioned into the Nobody's crest. Sora continued his barrage, twitching his head to one side to avoid being speared by one of Xaldin's lances only to receive a shallow gash on his leg. Riku quickly used a potion to heal the party's wounds. Before he could almost be skewered again, Sora thrust his keyblade straight into Xemnas' gut as Kairi stabbed him in the neck, producing a pained moan from Xemnas as they defeated him, for now.

* * *

The class was whooping and hollering encouragement and celebration of the victory, not knowing that it wasn't the end. Axel shushed them.

"Quiet!" he barked, grabbing another handful of popcorn, "the good part's coming up."

"Good part?" Selphie asked.

* * *

They were back on the Altar of Naught, all six warriors of light in a line facing Xemnas, who was clutching his chest in a place where a heart should have been. Except something was different, there were two more figures on the platform. The six warriors of light facing across from Xemnas were transparent holographic simulation characters. The two other figures were an opaque Sora and Kairi, looking on at the scene.

"_I need… more rage_," he slowly choked out, "_I need… more… hearts_." Simulation Sora stood up straight.

"Xemnas," he said, sounding just like the real Sora who was standing not five feet away from him, "There's more to a Heart than just anger or hate. It's full of all kinds of feelings. Don't you remember?" Xemnas continued clutching his 'heart'.

"_Unfortunately_," he said, "_I don't_." He grinned manically at them before vanishing in a display of darkness. The simulation characters began celebrating, except for sim Riku, who walked off a little.

"Gosh, you all did great," sim Mickey said. Roxas and Naminé faded in next to real Sora and Kairi.

"I remember this," Roxas said with a smile on his face, watching Sora make a goldfish impression to cheer Riku up.

* * *

"Who are those two?" asked John. Riku and Axel looked at him in surprise.

"You can see them?" they asked incredulously. The class and Yuffie nodded their heads slowly.

"Aren't they part of the simulation?" Yuffie asked Riku. He shook his head.

"No, that's really Roxas and Naminé, I guess being in the simulator allows them to be seen by everyone." Wakka scratched his head, puzzled.

"So, who are they, yah?" he asked. Riku and Axel weakly turned back to the screen.

"Just watch."

* * *

An explosion shook the Altar, and King Mickey ran up to Riku.

"Hurry!" he said. Riku nodded.

"I'll open a path," he said, stretching his arm in front of him while the others congregated around him. Kairi shook her head.

"And nothing happens," she said, right before Riku let out a gasp and looked at his hand.

"You don't belong in the dark realm anymore Riku," Sora and King Mickey said simultaneously. The four figures looked upon the scene unfolding before them with a severe case of déjà vu.

"How do we get out of here, Your Majesty?" Sim Donald asked.

* * *

"That mouse is a king?" Brittany yelled.

"Shut up and watch Brit," Tidus said. "This is interesting."

* * *

Sim Sora, Sim Kairi, Real Sora, Real Kairi, Roxas and Naminé all turned to look at sim Naminé, who had just appeared, and opened a portal of darkness for the sim characters. Donald and the King ran forward.

"Who did this?" Donald asked.

"Welp, I'm not sure," Mickey replied, "but we'd better hurry and get through." Before they could do anything, there was a loud stream of barking, as sim Pluto appeared from nowhere and ran into the portal.

"Whatever happened to Pluto after we got back anyway?" Sora asked Kairi as the animalia made their exit. Kairi shook her head.

"I don't know, I guess he somehow made it back to their world." They watched in silence as the transparent versions of themselves walked up to a spectral Naminé. "Thank you, Naminé," the sim Kairi said. Both Naminés nodded at their respective Kairis.

"Sure," they said only the simulation one continued however. "See, we meet again, like we promised," she said, appearing to address sim Sora, who replied with a 'huh?'

Roxas and another Roxas' voice started up at the same time, the real Roxas looking at their Naminé. "You said we'd meet again," sim Roxas stepped out of sim Sora, much to sim Sora's surprise, "but when we did, we might not recognize each other." Only the sim characters continued as real Roxas and real Naminé looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"I did, didn't I?" Naminé said.

"But I knew you."

"Hmm… it's strange."

"I think I understand," Roxas said. "I see myself the way you remember me, and you see yourself the way I remember you." Naminé looked a little sad.

"I always thought Nobodies were doomed, to fade back into darkness," she said to Roxas.

"Yeah," he responded, "but you and I didn't. We got to meet our original selves." Naminé's mood suddenly changed.

"So, we can be together again," she exclaimed, putting her fingertips together.

"Right," he said before stepping up next to her. "Anytime Sora and Kairi are together."

"We'll be together everyday, right Sora?" sim Kairi said, looking at him. He put his hands on his hips.

"Uh… yeah!" The two sim Nobodies smiled fondly at their others. Kairi took a step forward, and Naminé grasped her hand, vanishing in a flash of golden light. Sim Sora was stunned.

"Look sharp!" his Nobody ordered. Sora quickly arranged himself into a prepared for anything stance. Roxas vanished into him in a flash of blue light. Sim Sora looked at himself and began feeling as to whether he was different or not. Riku walked up to him.

"Don't worry," he said. "You're all still you." Sim Kairi was standing by the portal.

"Hey! Let's go home." Sora looked up at Riku.

"Riku, c'mon."

"Yeah." Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Naminé watched as sim Kairi, Sora, and Riku, began walking towards the portal that started closing with only Kairi inside it. Sim Kairi turned around as darkness took her.

"Sora! Riku!" She cried, holding out her hand, desperate for someone to grab hold. The Sims reached the portal just as the last traces of it vanished. Sora and Kairi watched as the last two Sim characters faded into nothingness.

"And that's the way the story went," Sora stated as a bright light suddenly flashed.

They were no longer on the Altar of Naught, well they were, but Sora realized for the first time that the Altar had simply become a tower in a new dark landscape, the rest of the Castle That Never Was nowhere to be seen below them. Sora looked up and saw the great green crystal from which a large white dragon-shaped ship was sallying from. Kairi gulped.

"So," she said, fear now in her voice, "that's what you fought after I was gone." Sora cringed as its booster rockets collided with the tower.

"Yep," he said, slowly sliding towards the edge. He noticed the ship he and Riku had defeated it before on resting on the stairwell. "But it's a good thing the ship's still here." He ran down the angled platform and leapt into the cockpit, before piloting it to a position Kairi could use to get on the standing platform. She jumped onto a battlement and used it as a springboard to get her onto the platform.

"Good luck," their two Nobodies called as they vanished in gold and blue lights that surrounded the Somebodies. Sora flew their craft alongside the behemoth ship, Kairi summoning Island's Fire in a flash.

* * *

The Headmaster and faculty watched in amazement as Sora and Kairi destroyed each part of the dragon's attachments in a brilliant flash with Mega Laser. No one in the school knew that Sora could pilot a ship, or that they knew how to use laser cannons. They looked upon their two students with pride. These two were kids in the top of their field. It looked as if nothing could be done to stop them.

* * *

"Oi! Tidus! Wakka!" a new voice called as a group of people entered the training gym, "did you guys forget that we get to leave early today for Blitzball practice?" Everyone turned to look at the newcomers, five boys in their teens. Each of which had brilliantly bright blond hair.

"Screw Blitzball today," Tidus said to the rest of the team as he turned his attention back to the monitor, "watching Sora and Kairi fight right now is awesome!" The team followed his gaze to the screen, eyes growing in awe at the battle in the sky unfolding. They looked back to one another and nodded.

"Screw Blitzball," they agreed, stepping forward. One of them by the name of Fred looked at Kairi intensely.

"Hey that's the girl Bob mentioned," he pointed out to his friend George.

"Bob?" Wakka asked. "Who is Bob yah?"

"Oh, Bob is a guy in our block one class," the Fred said, indicating himself and George. "He came in this morning all beat up muttering about some red headed chick named Kairi and her boyfriend Sora." Riku and Yuffie looked up at him.

"They're going out?" Yuffie asked, excited. Riku shook his head.

"No, they aren't yet," he replied. "But, why was this Bob guy muttering about them?" George hunched out on his chair, ready to tell them.

"Well," he began, "apparently yesterday Bob came across this red head yesterday as she was waiting outside her house for someone. He decided that he would play her and make her his girlfriend; he was on the team last year after all. So he thought he could just waltz on up to her and she'd fawn over him." George chuckled, "he was wrong. She wasn't interested in him at all, and then this 'twerp' kid Sora showed up. All I know is, when Bob charged him, Sora stopped him dead in his tracks with one hand."

"Then today, Bob came back, still wanting Kairi, except today he brought five buddies with him," Fred said, shaking his head. "All I know today is that they were pwned and when Bob touched my hand, I received an electric shock." Riku smirked.

"Serves him right," he said before turning his attention back to the screen. Fred looked incredulously at him.

"Wait, do you know what Sora did to him?" he asked. Riku didn't even look back.

"Given that you said you were given an electric shock when he touched you, Sora probably used a thunder spell." The class and team looked at him with blank expressions, sweatdropping. Riku groaned. "Erg," he said, frustrated, "he used magic to electrocute them." Light bulbs suddenly clicked on in their heads as they turned back to the screen.

* * *

Sora and Kairi watched as the Dragon veered towards to ground, crashing into it with a resounding thrash. They looked at each other as it became consumed by a dark wind, changing its shape. Half of it was now embedded in the ground, great turbines rose up in a fan pattern over the head, while its two front arms could now lock together to form a large shield.

Sora flew their craft towards their quarry, seeking to end this fight. They leapt off onto the Dragon's head, upon which rested the throne from before. Sora and Kairi looked in anger upon Xemnas, wearing his armor as before, before turning their heads to see their ship floating away towards a vortex that was drawing all sorts of matter into it. They looked back at the Nobody and summoned their keyblades. They charged him, but before they reached him they stopped. Xemnas was creating a shield again, and they wouldn't fall for that one again. Sora was tired of waiting after a tenth of a second. He pointed the Oblivion towards the sky.

"Thundaga!" he yelled. A very large thunderbolt came down from behind Xemnas' shield and jolted him, it didn't seem to do much though. They waited until the shield was down before lashing out at him with all they had. They strung combos together faster than the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, Xemnas slashed at them with his blade, throwing them to the far reaches of the vortex.

"_Nothingness… is eternal_." His echoic voice proclaimed to the void. Sora saw several skyscrapers appear out of darkness and start flying towards him, but there were some that were just floating. He flew up to one and dodging laser shots, jumped onto it. Kairi floated up behind him. "_Sora_," Xemnas said as Kairi shot the building towards the giant shield that protected the Dragon's head, "_Are you certain Kairi can help_?" The building bounced off, but Sora sliced it into tiny pieces and sent them hurtling back at the shield, breaking it apart. Together he and Kairi flew at the throne, disregarding Xemnas plea to "_Embrace, Nothing_", and dodging blue lasers he summoned to destroy them.

Once again, they whaled on him with everything they had, this time though, Kairi managed to break through his armor, and stab him in the chest. They all disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in a swirling, white, tunnel dimension. Xemnas was no longer wearing his armor, now he was garbed in a white robe with intricate black designs on it. Sora and Kairi faced him, their keyblades loose at their sides.

"_Heroes from the realm of light_," he said waving his hands in the air, "_I will not allow it to end this way, not yet. If light and darkness are eternal, than surely we nothings must be the same. Eternal_."

"You're right," Sora said, deciding it best to take Riku's position, "Light and darkness are eternal. Nothing probably goes on forever too. But guess what Xemnas…"

Kairi finished for him. "That doesn't mean YOU'RE eternal!"

Xemnas chuckled, "_No more eternal than that radiance of yours_."

* * *

Riku smirked.

"Sora took my line," he complained. Everyone looked at him.

"Your line?" they asked.

"Yeah, I said that. He should pay me for using it without my permission." Yuffie smirked at him.

"He probably just forgot to say a disclaimer."

* * *

Xemnas was floating above the ground, staring at Sora and Kairi.

"_Anger and Hate, are supreme_." Suddenly, he vanished and reappeared in front of Sora, grabbing him by his white dress shirt. "_We shall go together_." He threw Sora up in the air, and began using portals to jump in from beneath Sora, rising through the air swinging his glowing red weapons around him. Sora tried to block them while striking back at Xemnas, but much like the last time they fought, it proved nigh impossible. Being struck doesn't feel quite as good as being the one doing the striking, he thought as he savagely used Aerial Dodge to avoid a slash. Xemnas suddenly appeared in front of him and struck the Oblivion out of his hand with a kick before sending Sora careening to the ground. En route, Kairi dived at the fallen keyblade and threw it towards Sora, just in time for him to block a strike Xemnas through at him. Xemnas was about to do a follow-up with his other blade, but Kairi flew in and blocked it. The two flipped to avoid Xemnas' spin attack. Once on the ground again, they charged Xemnas, adrenaline preventing them from realizing injuries sustained as he used orbs of gray to send sharp tendrils at them. They hacked, slashed, blocked, parried, and attempted to dodge his blows as they slowly became bloodier and bloodier.

After Xemnas felt he was done toying with them he brought his hands together. "_Can you spare a heart?_" he asked. A great blue orb engulfed his outstretched palms. An identical one encircled Kairi and held her in the air. Electricity flared between the two as Kairi struggled to hold out against the attack. Sora tried to save his love by jumping at Xemnas, but the simulation Nobody kicked him in the gut, sending him down. Sora back-flipped on his hands to recover before raising the Oblivion.

"Kairi!" he yelled as he charged like a bull. He shot bolts of lightning at the Xemnas clone that was preventing him from reaching her. _I can't lose her!_ He thought savagely as he launched a huge firaga spell at the fake Xemnas. _I haven't told her how I truly feel about her yet! I don't care if it's the last thing I do, I will tell her I love her before the day is out!_ He launched himself at the Xemnas holding Kairi prisoner and thrust the Oblivion at his head. Xemnas craned his neck to avoid it, and Sora connected his free hand with Xemnas', breaking the bond. Kairi fell to the ground as Sora hit Xemnas repeatedly with his keyblade, before mimicking Riku and swinging him around, finally hurling him away.

Sora landed on the ground and Kairi ran up to him, before they could even do anything Sora was hit in the shoulder by a laser blast. Xemnas was shooting at them from the palm of his hand! Sora managed to dodge the rest and blocked at least five volleys before he and Kairi were able to attack Xemnas again. They leapt at him, but he had a clone with him. One began shooting laser blasts at Sora, the other at Kairi. Neither could block, only accept the blasts as they burned into their flesh, leaving hot white burns. Kairi looked up with loathing at Xemnas, all of his taunts were void in her ears. He was hurting her and Sora! She had a keyblade with her. _This time, I'll fight!_ she thought savagely. She thought once more of fire, felt the flames coursing through her, allowed the heat to consume her, drawing from her anger.

"Take this Xehanort!" she yelled, her keyblade surrounded by the flames she was envisioning. "Fire!" she shouted as she flung Island's Fire at the Nobody. The blade connected with his chin and sent him reeling backwards. Kairi summoned her keyblade back and crouched on the ground, mentally weary. Sora saw her spectacular performance and beamed with pride at the girl he loved.

"Kairi!" he yelled and tossed a blue cube at her, it cracked open and its contents washed over her. She suddenly felt sharp, alert, all drowsiness from casting her fire spell gone. She straightened up and Sora walked up to her. "You feeling better?" he quickly asked. She half turned in his direction, keeping her gaze on Xemnas.

"Yeah," she said, "but he won't be when we're finished." Xemnas laughed and brought his hands together.

"_You are such fools of light_," he proclaimed, raising his hands to the ceiling. Sora and Kairi quickly found themselves surrounded by a dome of red laser bolts, all poised and ready to strike them. Reacting on instinct and intuition, Sora grabbed Kairi with one arm and pulled her into an embrace.

"Reflega!" he yelled. A honeycomb dome of light surrounded the two as bolts of red energy began streaming down. Instead of breaking the shield, they either exploded on impact or ricocheted off, exploding in the distance. Sora would normally have dropped the shield after a second, but he knew it was vital to keep it up. As blasts exploded all around the two, he could feel the drain on his magic slowly take hold. With each hit on his spell, he winced, holding the magic in place with all his might. Kairi looked up at him, seeing the pain in his eyes. _I'll give him my energy_, she thought and concentrated on passing her newly recharged mana. A sparkling blue mist streamed from her body and entered Sora, empowering him. His shield doubled in strength, repelling a final wave completely. The ensuing explosion was large enough for on of the bolts to strike the school's security camera, melting it into useless scrap metal.

* * *

"What's happening?" the Headmaster blared as the screen suddenly become the familiar fuzzy one when things don't work. A technician was running about, trying to reestablish a connection.

"I don't know sir, that blast must have destroyed the camera!" he said.

"But that's impossible!" a teacher retorted. "How could the camera have been destroyed unless…" he left his sentence hanging as the whole room paled and looked slowly back at the screen.

"Unless…" he finished, "those blasts were real."

* * *

Sora and Kairi were panting on the ground, the exertion from consuming nearly all their magic having drained them. Suddenly, a glowing red blade struck Sora in the shoulder, knocking him backwards.

"Sora!" Kairi called out to him, before Xemnas thrust the blade beside her neck. There was nothing she could do, her keyblade almost beneath her. Xemnas wound up, preparing to decapitate her and Kairi resigned herself to her fate. _I still haven't told him I love him_, she thought sadly. Just as the blow was about to be struck, Sora leapt forward and blocked it at an angle that left his back wide open. He roughly shoved Kairi back as the second blade struck him square in his side. Kairi halted herself, and lunged at Xemnas, fire in her eyes.

"Kairi," Sora said weakly, offering her the Oblivion. She took it gladly. Bringing her two keyblades forward she viciously attacked Xemnas before sending him flying into the air. Twirling them around she launched herself up after him.

"This is it!" she yelled, striking him crosswise, sending him higher. She landed on the ground next to a crouched Sora. She looked at him and he nodded, placing his hand over hers on Island's Fire. Their hands glowed blue as he now offered his energy to her. They pointed the crimson tip at Xemnas and a circle of light formed around it. A pure white beam sprouted forth, heading for Xemnas like a missile. It struck home as they released a mighty shout.

"Light!"

Sora got up, and he and Kairi ran straight for the now weakly floating Xemnas. They jumped high in the air and with a mighty wrench Kairi sliced his back as Sora wounded his chest. Xemnas emitted a pained moan.

"Accursed… keyblades." A great white light began appearing from behind Xemnas, aiding in destroying him as he finally vanished for good.

"We did it!" Kairi yelled as the simulation faded back into the room's original interior.

* * *

Everyone in the gym was whooping and hollering! The whole team including Tidus and Wakka was doing a victory dance. Selphie and Brittany were hugging each other. John and Michael were shaking uncontrollably, and Riku, Yuffie, and Axel (who with their help had consumed his entire bowl of popcorn) were just smiling weakly as Axel (in the center) held out his hands as the two beside him slapped them.

* * *

Sora was happy they had finally won, but before he could begin to celebrate, he felt the pain come to him tenfold. The adrenaline could no longer conceal it. He clutched his side and shoulder blades, feeling the burns, bruises, gashes and cuts all at once. He was amazed he wasn't crying. Why wasn't I in this much pain last time? He asked himself. Oh, right, Riku was with me and he has practically an infinite supply of potions. He looked over at Kairi to see if she was in as much pain as he was. Only, she wasn't standing up, she was on the ground, passed out from the pain. _Oh no!_

Sora ran as best as he could to her side, once again adrenaline taking hold. _People can die from extreme pain! I can't lose her! Not now!_ He skidded on his already chaffed knees to kneel beside her, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at her face. "Curaga!" he yelled, pointing the Oblivion at her. Like earlier that day, green tendrils wrapped themselves around her, healing all of her wounds. Sora placed his hand on her face, praying that he wasn't too late.

* * *

Yuffie stood up.

"I'm going to go in and congratulate them," she said walking towards the metal door.

* * *

"Please Kairi," Sora begged quietly, "please open your eyes. Don't leave me." He felt all of his emotions come pouring out in a cascading tidal wave of tears that fell hot and thick across his cheeks. Kairi stirred, although he didn't notice. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I, I…" he croaked as the last words came out, "I love you."

A ripple of shock went through the now conscious Kairi. _He loves me?_ she thought. _Sora really loves me?_ Kairi slowly opened her eyes.

"So-ra," she said slowly, looking deeply into the eyes of the young man she loved. Sora looked deeply relieved to hear her soft sweet voice. Sora grabbed her and gently placed his lips on hers. Kairi's eyes opened wide in shock, before closing as she deepened his gentle kiss. She felt like there was a volcano erupting inside her, as Sora's gentle lips full of passion caressed her own. She cupped her hands over his neck and back, bringing him closer as he did the same to her. She was startled at how his gentle touch brought tingles to her spine. But the feeling wasn't bad, it was magically wonderful. Not even an earthquake could have ruined their perfect moment. So absorbed was she in him and he in her that they didn't notice they small beep-beep noise or the flash from Yuffie's digital camera as she quietly stalked out of the room.

* * *

Riku and Axel were waiting for her outside.

"So…" Axel said crossing his arms, "where are our star pupils?" Yuffie blushed.

"Riku…" she said slowly, dodging the question, "you remember when you said Sora and Kairi weren't going out?" Riku gave her a puzzled look, but slowly nodded his head. Yuffie grinned and pulled out her digital camera, showing him the picture she just took. "I think they are now," she smugly stated. Riku looked affronted as he grabbed the camera away from her.

"You took their picture?" he asked, incredulous, before an evil grin claimed his visage. "You're devious," he said slyly. Yuffie beamed at him.

"Thank you," she said. "Well what's the point of being a great ninja if I can't even sneak in on two teens as their sharing their first kiss? I'm thinking of sending it to the King and the gang back home. What do you think?" Riku nodded his head. Axel, unfortunately was left out.

"What is that?" he fumed, grabbing it out of Riku's hands. "Let me see." A maniacal grin unfurled upon his face as he barked a laugh. "Way to go Roxas!" Riku laughed and looked back at Yuffie.

"I think I'm starting to like you pie hater."

* * *

Sora and Kairi finally broke apart, their need for air keeping them from continuing. Kairi gazed at Sora, staring at his handsome face and tears of pure bliss rolled down her cheeks. Sora gently, oh so gently, wiped them away with his thumb before drawing her into a hug.

"This is real," she said softly. Sora opened his eyes, shocked.

"Kairi," he began, drawing her back to gaze fondly at her pretty face, "does that mean…" Kairi smiled, finishing for him.

"Yes Sora, I love you. I've loved you since before we even began building that stupid raft." She giggled a little, "I was just afraid you didn't love me back." Sora's expression softened as they brought their heads together and kissed again. Kairi felt dizzy and lightheaded. I never knew Sora could be such a great kisser, she thought to herself. They finally broke apart, once again hating the fact that oxygen was essential for life.

"I think I'm ready to show you that memory now Kairi," Sora said, smiling. Kairi looked strangely at him as he placed his hand over her forehead.

"Show me? What do you mean show me?"

Sora concentrated on his memory, praying with all his might that he had enough magic left in him. Suddenly they both went rigid, taking a ride through his memory.

* * *

They were standing on a blue rock face, transparent and ghost-like. In front of them stood an overlarge mouse with a keyblade that had a silver hilt and golden shaft, and a figure with silver hair wearing a black cloak. Kairi looked confused. Why is the King here? She thought, and who is that? She turned to look at Sora, who's gaze was stony as he surveyed the scene.

"And here, we come in," he said aloud. Kairi could hear the sound of footsteps as an opaque Sora, Donald, and Goofy came running from a chasm.

"Your majesty!" The newly arrived Sora called. King Mickey turned to look at them before drawing his attention back to the figure in front of him.

"Xehanort!" he yelled.

"How long has it been since I abandoned that name?" the figure said. Sora did not look happy.

"Out with it Nobody!" he snarled. "Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?"

"_I know nothing of any Kairi. As for Riku_," the figure turned around to reveal his face. Kairi recognized it in horror. It was Xemnas! "_Perhaps you should ask your King_." He began to walk backwards, opening a portal of darkness. Sora looked down at Mickey with a sense of abandonment at having not being told about Riku. Before he could say anything Mickey leapt forward.

"Stop!" he shouted, jumping in after Xemnas as the portal closed. Sora emitted a wave of severe depression.

"He's gone," he said, collapsing on the ground. He began punching it in earnest until Goofy laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Sora, Goofy," Donald said sadly, and then a new voice spoke up.

"Way to fall right into their trap." They whipped around, as did Kairi, to see none other than Axel, leaning against the cliff. "C'mon," he said stepping forward, "it's a setup by Organization XIII. Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless. That's his big master plan." Donald looked confused.

"Xemnas?" he asked. Axel pointed.

"The guy you just saw. He's their leader, Xemnas, X-E-M-N-A-S. Got it memorized?" Goofy now looked confused.

"Organization XIII wants to get rid of the Heartless," he postulated, lowering his shield. Axel shook his head.

"Man you're slow." He pointed at Sora's keyblade, and Kairi looked at it for the first time. It was snow-white, with two parallel shafts, the top one with a multicolored star looking key, the bottom one joining it with a heart around it. At the base of the shafts where they joined the angle-wing hilt was a small, white, heart. Kairi looked past the pommel and gasped when she saw the keychain. It was the lucky charm made of thassala shells that she lent to Sora on is first journey. She looked back at all the hearts. The keyblade of love, she thought to herself, from now on, I'll use it too. Axel continued bringing his fist up in a flourish at the end, "every heartless slain by that keyblade releases a captive heart. And that is what the Organization is after."

"What are they gonna do with the hearts?" Donald questioned.

"I'm not telling." Donald became flustered.

"Tell us!" he ordered. Sora finally spoke.

"You! You're the one who kidnapped Kairi!" despair filling his voice.

"Bingo! The name's Axel, got it memorized?"

"Where is Kairi?" Sora asked. Axel scratched the back of his head, unwilling to say anything. "Please, just tell me!" Sora pleaded, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Axel placed his hands on his hips and sighed.

"Look, about Kairi, I'm sorry," he said bluntly.

"Axel." Saïx's voice spoke as he appeared in a portal of darkness.

"Uh oh!" Axel disappeared in his own portal. Sora was about to chase after him when Saïx held out a hand.

"Don't worry. We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment."

"I don't care about any of that!" Sora said hurriedly. "Just let me into the realm of darkness okay." Saïx turned to him.

"If its Kairi you're worried about, don't. I assure you we are taking very good care of her."

"Then take me to her." Sora demanded.

"Is she that important to you?" Saïx asked.

"Yeah, more than anything."

"Show me how important." Sora looked down, thinking as to how he could show someone how important she was to him, before getting down in front of Saïx on his hands and knees. His bare neck exposed, making him vulnerable and completely at Saïx's mercy.

"Please." Saïx looked at him in wonder.

"So, you really do care for her. In that case, the answer's no." Kairi snarled at him, her fists clenched. Sora leapt up, his hands balled into fists.

"You rotten!" Saïx began to speak again and Armored Knight heartless appeared, but Kairi's Sora grabbed her hand and nodded at her.

"Time to go," he said. A white light began to glow and their conscious minds were returned to the simulation room, Sora's hand still on her head. He removed it as Kairi blinked. "That was why I couldn't talk about my memory Kairi," he explained to her, "I wasn't completely sure about my feelings for you yet."

"When did you figure them out?" she asked him in a sweet voice. Sora chuckled.

"Actually, this morning when I had to write the part with that memory in it." Kairi giggled and whacked him on the back of the head.

"Lazy bum," she scoffed with a twinkle in her eyes before looking towards the door. "Sora, I think we've spent enough time in here." He nodded and quickly they shared a brief kiss before starting to head out. Sora stood up, and suddenly clutched his side. There was no adrenaline in his system to mask the pain from his injuries, and neither of them had a potion. "Sora!" Kairi cried, holding him as he half stood, gasping for breath. "Can't you cast a heal spell or something?" she asked him. He wearily shook his head.

"No, I used up the last of the magic I had when I showed you the memory, and I gave you my only ether," he explained in shallow gasps. Kairi tightened her hold on his shoulder.

"Well," she said, rising off the ground, "all you have to do is float, and I'll get you out of here. Riku, Yuffie, or Axel will have a potion." Sora nodded, and rose a few inches from the ground, his shoes just shy of skimming the floor. He gave her a small peck on the cheek.

"Kairi, thank you."

* * *

The three were huddled around Yuffie's camera wondering who they should send the news to first when the door opened. They quickly turned around, Axel stashing the camera in his front pocket, to see a bloody Kairi and Sora wearing torn raiment from their fight, with Sora still bleeding having not been healed, floating towards them. What remained of the class, which was everyone but Tidus and Wakka as they had left with the team, looked up at their entrance. Each of their faces excitedly grew grins as they ran up to the two.

"You guys really can fly!" Brittany exclaimed, awestruck that they were floating.

"You were awesome Sora, saving Kairi like that," John said before turning his gaze towards Brit, who caught it and twirled her finger in her blonde hair, blushing.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah we're awesome," Kairi sighed, "Riku, Mr. Axel, Miss Yuffie, do any of you have a potion?" Kairi bit her lip and landed next to them, glancing anxiously at Sora. Riku protruded one from his back pocket and immediately set about spraying it on Sora's wounds. When he was finished, Axel slapped Sora on the back.

"Way to go Roxas!" he exclaimed his congratulations, "You guys beat the superior!" Sora looked angrily at Axel.

"I'm not Roxas!" he glanced to his right and saw transparent Roxas standing with transparent Naminé waving and beaming at them. "That's Roxas," he said, half pointing, half jerking his head on Roxas general direction. Everyone turned to look. Riku and Axel smiled. Kairi let go of Sora and ran to hug Naminé. Sora walked up to Roxas and shook hands with his Nobody. Everyone else just looked puzzled.

"Good one man," Roxas said, smiling fondly. Sora took his trademark pose with his hands behind his head.

"Nothing to it." Roxas laughed.

"I meant with Kairi," he said only quietly enough for himself, Naminé, Sora, and Kairi to hear. They both stopped and looked at each other, before smiling. Kairi giggled.

"Thank you Roxas." Naminé slapped Roxas on the arm.

"Stop harassing them!" she scolded. The four of them and Riku and Axel laughed heartily.

"Sora, I'm sorry for calling you Roxas. Roxas, I'm sorry for acting as if you weren't here," Axel said. Everyone in the room who could not see the two Nobodies decided to act like nothing was happening. Yuffie suddenly brightened up.

"Oh!" she remembered, "Sora, we're throwing you that party you wanted tonight. What would you like? Cake," she pointed at her shirt.

"Or pie?" Riku said, jabbing his thumb at himself. Sora looked at Kairi.

"I don't know, what do you want Kairi?" She put her finger to her chin, before walking over to him and whispering quietly so that only themselves and their Nobodies could hear. Roxas laughed and Naminé giggled before disappearing in their respective lights. Sora simply gazed fondly at Kairi and they shared a brief kiss. Everyone started clapping merrily at the two. Yuffie and Axel whistled. Riku was shocked that they were actually kissing in front of their class, not to mention Yuffie, Axel, and himself, but he quickly recovered and began clapping.

"Guess our blackmail and news is now null and void," Riku spoke to the two people standing next to him. They sighed but still smiled, congratulating the two young lovers. They broke apart and turned to Riku and Yuffie.

"Who about," they asked at the same time, "crème brulée?" Riku and Yuffie smirked.

"Traitors," they said in unison.

* * *

_Well, that was one very long chapter. I spent all week and weekend writing that. Had to fight Xemnas at least three more times for me to get everything packed down tight. Hope you enjoyed it!_

_Since Sora can drive, I was actually thinking of using the dressspheres and garment grid idea from Final Fantasy X-2. If you have any ideas or opinions, just send me an e-mail, PM, or say it in your review._

_P.S. I won't be updating 'till sometime during Spring Break because I am too tired to write anymore right now._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	8. The Party

_Okay, I'm back. I've decided against dresspheres and garment grids for Kairi, even though she was the only one I was going to use them for, I just would have no idea what kind of outfit I would put Sora into. Maybe Tidus from FF X…_

_To Burnie, Geoffe, Gus, Matt, Jason, and anyone else associated with Rooter Teeth Productions, if you are reading this I hope you're happy. I gave you guys free advertising last chapter. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and please review._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or anything associated with the aforementioned._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter VIII: The Party

The bell rang, and amongst the clatter of students from other classes rushing out, Sora and Kairi looked glumly at each other.

"What now?" Sora asked. Kairi looked thoughtfully at him as the rest of the class filed out.

"How about more magic training on the island?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. Sora raised his eyebrows before catching on. He nodded and began limping out, supported by Kairi. Axel, Yuffie, and Riku looked on.

"So," Axel stated when they were out of earshot, "she's the fire that burns in his heart."

"Yes," Riku said, "he'll do almost anything for her." He then shook his head sadly, "he probably wouldn't go to the darkness though." Axel smirked.

"It doesn't matter then, that Maleficent knows nothing of their love, for even if she did, Sora would not succumb to her wish and become a heartless. Or so you say Riku." He then stretched. "Well, I need to alert the kitchens and get them to make crème brulée for the party. We'll have to make it for tomorrow because of the menu change. I'll tell the two love-birds." Axel sprinted off and bashed his way through the crowded hallways to achieve his objective. Yuffie sighed and shook her head.

"What am I going to do with that cake I bought?" Riku walked up to her.

"It's better than me," he said, "I have fifteen apple pies at home, ready for consumption. Now that those two want crème brulée, what am I going to do with them?" Yuffie smiled.

"I can help," she said. Riku looked skeptically at her.

"What do you mean you can help?" he scoffed. "I thought you didn't like pie?" Yuffie placed her hands on her hips.

"I like pie," she said slowly, "I just like cake better." Riku looked at her in admiration. If Sora were feeling tip-top, he would definitely be helping Riku eat pie, but here was someone else offering her help.

"Would you like whipped cream or vanilla ice cream?" he asked. Yuffie smirked as she allowed herself to be led away.

"What goes better with apple pie than vanilla?" she rhetorically asked. She then became stern. "Remember though," she warned, "I am a teacher, so no fraternization." Riku grinned.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Sora and Kairi were slowly walking along the road towards the beach, their backpacks on their shoulders. Sora was feeling better, now that he had had some time to recover some of his mental strength. They casually looked over their shoulders. Seeing no one, they turned their heads back to each other, smiling. Sora took Kairi's hand in his and together they took off into the sky. Flying high into the air, they set a course for the island.

Sora grinned and let go of Kairi. Deciding it was more pleasant to fly on his back, he twirled around with his hands behind his head, happily smiling at Kairi's laughing face. Sora let loose a chuckle of pure bliss as they flew over the water.

* * *

Unknown to them, their school's blitzball team was practicing below and Tidus, acting on a dare, kicked the ball straight up. Wakka and the rest of the team looked in awe of Tidus' kick, which was rapidly disappearing in the sky, as he smirked at them.

"Dare anyone to go higher."

* * *

Sora was calmly floating through the air, still on his back, when the white and blue ball (riddled with bumps on its surface) collided with the back of his head. He let loose a pained yelp of surprise as he looked up and saw the ball still going higher.

Sora, hearing Kairi's laughter, grinned at the ball and flew straight at it, grabbing it in midair. He turned around and called to Kairi.

* * *

"You think I should give it back to them?" he asked. Kairi wiped away tears of merriment as she nodded her head. The two descended.

Needless to say, the team took Tidus' challenge and began shooting balls as high as they could into the sky, unaware that two people were floating down to them.

* * *

"What the hell are they doing?" yelled Sora as he dodged a blitzball heading straight for his face. "Do they enjoy tormenting us?" Kairi looked as if she was about to answer, but had to flip to avoid a shot heading for her abdomen.

"They probably don't know we're here," she managed to say, twisting around. Sora nodded and glanced at her. He shouldn't have. While he was distracted, a ball came and hit him in a very sensitive area for a guy.

"Crap," he said in a high-pitched voice as he began falling. Kairi looked at him in a confused way. Why was his voice so high? She thought, watching him fall faster than her. Wait a sec, she realized, he's not descending, he's falling!

"Sora!" she yelled, flying madly at her quarry, hoping to catch him before he crashed into the surf. She blushed slightly as realization struck her as to how he could suddenly be in that much pain.

* * *

Tidus looked up in the sky to see when all of their balls would come back down, only to see two figures, one falling one diving, through the sky towards them.

"Guys," he began, "I think we just shot down Sora and Kairi…"

* * *

Kairi dove through the sky as fast as she could, the wind pounding in her ears as every second slipped by. She was gaining on Sora but he was still ahead of her. About two hundred meters off of the surface, she was able to catch him in her arms, but could only bring them to a stop five meters away from the team.

They stared at her in awe, unable to believe that they could really fly. Tidus looked as if he was about to apologize, but Kairi gave him such a death-glare he quailed and fled to beneath the surface. Before Kairi could torture anyone else with her gaze, Sora stirred in her arms.

"Someone get the license plate number," he said weakly, "I have just been violated." Kairi laughed as she drew Sora's eyes. Her pupils twinkled while she giggled at him, earning a smile and a quick kiss after Sora 'stood' up again. The team eased a bit and clapped as Tidus poked his head halfway out of the water. It was news to them that Sora and Kairi were now together. When they stopped their moment, Kairi smiled softly at Sora.

"Can I kill them?" she asked him. Sora laughed as everyone excluding Wakka fled under water. Sora looked at the blitzball still in his hands.

"Hey Wakka," he said. Wakka flinched, now we're gonna get it, he thought. Sora shook his head and smiled at him, while tossing the ball. Wakka barely caught it, shock on his visage. "Don't kick anymore balls straight up," Sora chided, amused at the team, before flying off to the island, Kairi behind him. Tidus resurfaced.

"So they really can fly," he stated.

* * *

They landed on the little islet Sora and Riku used to spar on, laughing like mad.

"Did you see their faces?" Kairi managed to choke out through the tears. "They were priceless!" Sora forced himself to look up at the beauty that he had fallen for.

"So," he said slowly, "what would you like to do now? More fire? Or something else?" Kairi stopped laughing and placed her hands on her hips. She pursed her lips and walked towards him, her eyes twinkling.

"Something else," she purred seductively, grabbing his tie and pulling him in. Sora did not need any further encouragement as she threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. Kairi's kisses are heavenly, he thought in pure bliss, kissing her back just as passionately. A fire rose in his heart, never wanting to go out. A noise broke them apart before they could even me forced by nature to stop. Even though they had broken their kiss, the fire did not die. It stayed on only banked, ready to flare up again in a moment. They turned and saw Roxas and Naminé standing with their arms crossed, glaring at the two.

"I thought you guys were going to train in magic," Naminé scolded, a wry smile on her lips, "not practice kissing." Sora rubbed the back of his head as Kairi shuffled her foot on the rock.

"Shucks. Okay fine," she said calmly before turning to Sora. "In response to your question I'd like to practice fire some more." Sora grinned, a pyro gleam in his eyes.

"Fire it is," he said, throwing in a maniacal laugh for good measure. Roxas raised his eyebrows.

"I think I spent too much time with Axel," he said placing his hand on his chin, "I seem to be rubbing off on Sora." Naminé giggled as Kairi looked worriedly at Sora.

"I think he'll be okay…" she hoped, before summoning Island's Fire. Kairi looked her keyblade up and down, wanting to remember its image. _Now, I change my keyblade._ She removed her keychain from her backpack and looked down at the lucky charm she made. Five thassala shells made it into a star, and she had drawn a smiling face on it. She smiled as she switched the keychains, Island's Fire becoming the Oathkeeper in a flash of light. The light distracted Sora from his twitchy fire frenzy and he looked fondly at the white keyblade, his heart melting.

_How I loved using that blade_, he thought, _it always reminded me of her, now I hope she uses it well._ Kairi suddenly felt more astute, keener to her surroundings. Her mind was sharper, stronger even, and it seemed to her as if her endurance had increased.

"Sora," she asked turning to him, "did you always feel like your mind had grown stronger when you switched keyblades?" He smiled, knowing that she had learned the trick.

"Sometimes yes," he replied, "other times I felt more powerful, or less aware, or a combination." Kairi nodded, looking around and spotted a few of coconuts in a tree. She smiled as she flew up to them, batting them down with the Oathkeeper. Naminé, Roxas, and Sora raised their eyebrows as four coconuts fell to the ground. "What are you doing?" Sora asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Kairi grabbed one of the nuts and chucked it at him. Sora caught it just in time to stall facial injury. Kairi laughed as she gathered the others up in her arms.

"Target practice," she said flying a ways off the islet and dropping them on the water. Sora caught her drift and hurled his coconut out as far as he could, it landing about ten feet behind Kairi's three. She flew back and landed beside Sora. "Ten points if you hit one of my three," she said, making it into a contest, "twenty if you hit yours. One with the most points at the end wins." Sora laughed as he summoned the Oblivion.

"You keep putting yourself in positions where you're going to lose Kai," he chuckled. Sora quickly closed his eyes and grasped at ice instead of fire. He felt the freezing cold of the snows atop the Tsung Shou pass, the cool sensation of snow beneath his feet in Christmas Town; his cheeks grew rosy red just thinking of the cold outside the jolly old man's house. His eyes snapped open half a second after he closed them as he pointed the Oblivion's cold steel at his coconut. "Blizzaga," he said. A large projectile made of ice flew straight for his target, freezing it instantly in a block of ice upon contact. His spell broke Kairi's concentration as she looked at the floating ice cube, her mouth hanging open. Sora then decided to switch to fire. Feeling the hot fire from Mushu's muzzle, the heat of the infernos Axel regularly summons, the intense ferocity of Hades' fireballs. Sora envisioned an explosion as he said "firaga." With loud blasting, booming sounds a shower of copper and gold sparks erupted from an explosion that occurred directly on the frozen coconut. Burning husks and bits of hot coconut meat flew in all directions. Sora grinned and lowered his keyblade, turning towards a stunned Kairi.

"Forty points, I win." Naminé scowled as Kairi was still incapacitated.

"Sora you scoundrel," she growled. "You're supposed to at least give her a chance," she nudged Roxas with her elbow, "right Roxas?" Naminé nudged him harder when he didn't answer her. "Right, Roxas?" She turned to him with her hands on her hips, pouting. By some strange fluke, Naminé hadn't registered the simple fact that Roxas was holding his sides in agony, laughing hysterically at Kairi's stupefied face. Naminé grew even angrier as she grabbed the pained Roxas by his ear. "We need to talk," she huffed while dragging him off, "you are supposed to support me, not your twinnish brother somebody." Sora laughed at Roxas' predicament.

_Good thing Kairi and I haven't gotten to that stage yet_, he thought thankfully.

_Then you're lucky,_ came Roxas' reply. _You probably wouldn't like Kairi punching you._ Sora raised his eyebrows and glanced at Kairi. She was still staring at flaming coconut husks while her three targets drifted away.

_Why would Kairi punch me?_ Roxas' immediate reply carried a tone as if he was in pain.

_Because Naminé is punching me,_ he moaned, _and it hurts!_ Sora chuckled again. _I can't take this anymore I'm coming in!_ A blue light engulfed Sora as Naminé ran back over the bridge to the islet.

"Sora," she yelled, "give my Roxie back! I haven't finished dealing with him yet!"

_Don't let her in, 'cause I'm not coming out,_ Roxas panicked from the back of Sora's mind, fear in his voice. Sora cringed as he took a step back. Naminé glared at Sora.

"I heard that Roxas," she yelled. Sora gulped, his face paling. _Nothing worse than an angry girl,_ he thought. Naminé's gaze hardened as she continued to stare down Sora.

"Sorry, Naminé," he choked out, terror filling his voice, "but I don't think Roxas wants to come out." She readied herself, her transparent fists balled.

"Then I'll just have to go in there and get him," she growled becoming a golden light that entered Sora's body.

_No, don't let her in here! I can't… Oh, hi Naminé, what a pleasant surprise__,_ Roxas said weakly, before yelps of pain started escaping from him. The whole scene that had just occurred was enough to wake Kairi from her trance. She looked around weakly, noticing that Sora was lying on the ground, laughing, and that her coconuts had drifted to the distance Sora's had been. She smiled as she raised the Oathkeeper.

_He had his fun_, she thought, _winning forty points in two shots, but now I can get sixty and win!_ She called the flames from within her keyblade to her mind, ready for use. The searing heat bubbled and boiled within her as she formed it into three small fireballs at the Oathkeeper's white tip. Sora looked up, hearing the crackle of flames, to see Kairi's hands wrapped tightly around the angel-wing hilt of her keyblade, aiming it at the middle coconut. "FIRE!" she yelled. The three firebrands steamed towards their targets, hitting the surf a few feet to the left of each coconut. Kairi looked down glumly, she had failed.

Sora saw the down-and-out look on Kairi face and quickly stood up. "No," he comforted, walking up to her, "keep trying." Kairi looked up at his warm face and nodded, determination filling her. She formed her fireballs again and let them loose. It was a closer miss this time, but they still landed sizzling to the left. Sora put his fingers to his chin, puzzled as to why she couldn't hit them. "What's your dominant eye Kairi?" he asked. She shook her head, not knowing which eye it was, or why it was important.

"I don't know, why does it matter?" she asked. Sora looked up.

"It helps you aim better if you are using your dominant eye," he explained. "Fortunately it's easy to figure out which is your dominant eye. All you have to do is put each of your index fingers and thumbs together to form a diamond." Kairi did as he instructed, and Sora nodded. "Now, place them out as far as you can, still forming a diamond, and have an object in the center." She chose the right floating coconut, staring straight at it through outstretched fingers. "Now," Sora instructed, "bring your hands back to your face slowly, making sure that your object stays in the center. Now, which eye are your hands over?" Kairi's face radiated amazement; her hands were over her right eye.

"The right one," she said quickly. Sora nodded slowly.

"That means that you're right eye dominant, now try burning them again, except this time, close your left eye." She pointed the Oathkeeper back at the middle coconut, and closed her left eye. She was astounded. I've really been aiming to the left the whole time!

"Fire!" she yelled and three fireballs shot out, each of them hitting smack dab in the center of each coconut. Kairi pumped her fist in jubilation. "I did it," she squealed before turning to Sora and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Sixty points," she said slyly, "I win."

* * *

They landed in front of Kairi's house shortly after, making sure nobody saw them along the trip. Kairi looked past Sora towards the setting sun.

"It's beautiful," she said wistfully, her heart melting at the red, purple, and golden light. "It makes me love this place so much. Such a peaceful sunset." Sora turned and stood beside Kairi, gazing to the west.

"It is beautiful," he said. He turned his head and found himself lost in Kairi's eyes. He felt himself falling in love with the angel beside him all over again. "But not as beautiful as you." They leaned together and kissed, breaking their heavenly bliss only for breath. Kairi snuggled close on his shoulder as he hugged her.

"I wish we could be together like this forever," she said softly into his ripped shirt. "I missed you so much when I couldn't remember you, and even more when I finally did." Sora softly hushed her.

"It's okay now Kairi," he cooed. "Our hearts are connected, and we'll always be together. We don't need some silly paopu fruit for that to happen." She smiled at him as she lifted her head off his shoulder, losing herself in his warm, handsome face.

"Promise?" she asked. Sora leaned in and kissed her before answering.

"Promise." A gold light engulfed Sora, before passing to Kairi.

"Um… Sora," Kairi asked slowly, "what was Naminé doing in your head?" Sora chuckled and shrugged.

"Well, she was beating up Roxas," he answered, "but his yelps of pain ceased a while ago. I wonder what they were doing."

_We shared our first kiss, but don't tell Sora I said that,_ Naminé telepathically said to Kairi, _and it's about time you got inside. Mom will be worried._ Kairi smiled at his bemused expression, trying to figure out what the Nobodies did, and lightly kissed Sora on the cheek.

"I have to go inside now," she said, "but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Sora replied, kissing her on the cheek. "See you tomorrow Kai." He began floating off the ground and started to glide away. Kairi suddenly got an idea.

"Hey Sora," she called. He turned onto his back and slowed his pace.

"Yeah?" he asked, almost coming to a midair stop,

"What would happen if you stopped thinking about me?" Even though he was distant, Kairi could tell he smiled. He floated to the left a bit, over soft grass.

"This." Sora plopped onto the ground, landing hard on his butt despite the grass. Kairi laughed. How did I know, she thought to herself. Sora was calling back to her. "What would happen to you if you stopped thinking of me, and you were flying?" Kairi wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'd fall," she said quietly, but still loud enough for him to hear. Sora nodded and decided that even though it was slower, he'd rather walk today. Kairi watched him walk into the sun before turning around and opening her door. "I'm home!" she called. The voice of her mother greeted her.

"How was your day dear?" she asked, walking into viewing range of the front hallway. She had brown hair tied up in a bun, green eyes, a rosy face, and was wearing a light green t-shirt and white jeans. Her jade eyes grew wide in horror as she saw the state of her daughter's uniform. It was ripped, torn, and burned in some places. "What happened to you? Did someone attack you? Why are your clothes wrecked so?" Kairi looked quizzically at her mother before looking herself over. She smacked her head in realization. I'm not going to tell her the whole truth, she thought, she'd never let me go to school again.

"Remember when Naminé and I told you about Bob yesterday?" she asked. Her mother nodded her lips tightening. Kairi sighed. "Well, he came by again this morning, and he had some 'friends' with him." Janet's, her mother's, eyes grew wide in shock as she grabbed Kairi's arm.

"Come, I'm taking you to the hospital. You must be traumatized, you must be so hu…" she looked at Kairi's face, there was no sign of wincing or pain upon it. "Wait a minute, you don't have a scratch on you. How come your uniform is ripped and torn, but you aren't hurt." Kairi lightly removed her mother's slack fingers from her arm and smiled.

"Sora arrived after I lost our scuffle. He used a thundara spell and lightly electrocuted them." Her smile widened, "Bob then agreed not to come after me again. Sora then used a cure spell to heal my injuries." Janet softened and hugged Kairi.

"I knew there was a reason I liked Sora," she chuckled. "I just have no idea why your father hates him." They broke apart.

"I don't know either," Kairi said walking into the living room. She looked around and could not see her father. "Hey where is dad?" she asked her mother who had returned to the kitchen. Janet chuckled.

"He's still at the office dear he's working late again tonight," she said. "You know your father, always working until he drops. We're lucky that he got off early yesterday, and tomorrow." Kairi nodded remembering. Her mother continued. "So it's just you and me again tonight. Anyway, apart from Bob again, how was your day?" Kairi was glad that her mother couldn't see her face, as it had suddenly became dreamy. All memories of what happened previously in school that day had been momentarily wiped from her mind as she remembered that first kiss. How he made her feel when he was near, how every time he touched her tingles went down her spine. How simple smiles on his face made her fall in love all over again, and take all sensation away.

"It was wonderful," Kairi said breathlessly after a prolonged pause. Janet raised her eyebrows.

"Does wonderful have anything to do with Sora?" Kairi froze in place, _Oh no_, she thought, _does mom know? How can she?_

"So-Sora?" she choked out. Janet laughed.

"Yes Sora," she teased, "you know, cerulean blue eyes, spiky brown hair, known him since you showed up on the islands oh princess of Radiant Garden?" Kairi's eyes grew wide in shock. She whipped her head around, red hair twirling.

"How do you know that I'm a princess, or even that I somehow came from the Radiant Garden?" Janet smiled warmly.

"Naminé told me after you got home in a huff that day," Kairi narrowed her eyes.

"How much did she tell you?" Her mother smiled warmly before turning back to making supper.

"Everything." Kairi stood up and walked slowly to her mother. "Go upstairs and get changed out of that torn outfit, I doubt you'll be able to wear it to school tomorrow." Kairi nodded and began to walk up the stairs when a thought came to her head. She turned when halfway up.

"Um, mom?" she asked slowly. "By everything do you mean, everything?" Janet nodded and smiled at her redheaded daughter. Kairi turned and walked up to her room. Removing her sticky clothes, Kairi decided it was best to take a shower before heading down for dinner. As the soft water lathered and cleansed her body, Naminé faded in downstairs next to her mother. Janet turned to her while stir-frying vegetables.

"So, did Sora have anything to do with today being wonderful?" she asked. Naminé placed her hands on her hips.

"I'll let her tell you, and aren't you being a little nosy?" Janet laughed.

"So is her friend Selphie, but I'm still a teenage girl at heart. So Sora did have something to do with it."

"I didn't say that," Naminé retaliated, before becoming a mist. Janet chuckled.

"I wonder what happened," she said to herself.

* * *

Kairi woke bright an early the next morning, ready to face the day. A smile filled her cheeks as she remembered yesterday's events. _I can't believe what Sora and Riku went through after we were separated again_, she thought in admiration, _Xemnas was one really tough cookie to beat._ She looked at her torn uniform before taking her mother's advice. Looking into her wardrobe, she began the arduous teenage ritual of deciding what to wear.

Half an hour later she had finally decided on an outfit that worked, a white shell halter-top, with a pair of white jean shorts. Satisfied, she walked downstairs for breakfast. Her father had already left, and her mother was getting ready to leave for her own job at the fabric store. She approached a yawning Kairi and kissed her forehead.

"You look lovely dear," she said in parting, "have fun at school. Your father and I will be at the party this afternoon." Kairi looked up at her mother with affection.

"Have a good day at work mom," she said, giving her a hug. "I'll head straight for the party after school." Janet walked out the door.

"Bye honey," she called, letting the door shut. Kairi smiled._ I'm lucky to have a mom like her_, she thought, tucking in to a bowl of porridge.

She ate in relative silence, having a pleasant conversation with Naminé about nothing in particular. Putting her empty bowl in the dishwasher, she retrieved her backpack, and left the house, making sure to lock the front door. She turned around and took in a deep breath, sighing at the beauty in the early morning, listening to the birdcalls.

"Kairi!" She turned her head to see Sora walking up to her, waving his hand. He was wearing his regular black and blue adventuring outfit, always with his silver crown pendant on his chest. He approached her and she lightly pecked his cheek. "How do you always smell so good?" he asked, inhaling a deep breath through his nose. Kairi giggled and dodged the question.

"Obviously your mother didn't like the state of your uniform either," she said as he started walking. He shook his head.

"No," he said calmly before barking a laugh, "she thought that heartless or Nobodies had appeared and we were attacked." Kairi laughed at the absurdity of the statement.

"Honestly, why would heartless attack now? There aren't any plots to take Kingdom Hearts, otherwise the King would have told us." Sora smirked.

"That's what I told her," he said as they rose over the hill overlooking the high school. Sora looked fondly at the concrete building. In the early morning light, it glowed golden. "I wonder if Mrs. Botterill got a chance to read our stories yet?"

* * *

"I'm giving you both a zero on the assignment." Mrs. Botterill said sternly.

Sora and Kairi were in her office, their first block had ended and she had wanted to speak to them about the assignment. As of now, their faces changed from ones of confusion to shock.

"Wha-what?" Kairi chocked out. "Why?"

"You didn't do the assignment," she simply stated. "You two wrote me novels on adventures with beings that couldn't possibly exist. You're both fortunate you turned them in when you did. You have an opportunity now do the assignment right. I wanted to know what you did over the summer, not something you dreamed up."

"But, but," Sora began, "our stories are so interrelated and it would be impossible to make all that up in two days."

"As for them being so interrelated you two obviously collaborated in order to avoid actually doing the assignment." She sighed before looking at the two kindly. "If you misunderstood my directions, I can go over them again and you can redo it." Kairi shook her head.

"Mrs. Botterill, you don't understand," she tried to reason, "we actually did all of that stuff, didn't you hear about what happened yesterday?" Word had spread throughout the school about the simulation fight among both the students and staff like wildfire. Sora and Kairi fan clubs had sprung up overnight, and they had thankfully arrived at school before too many other people did. Their teacher's face hardened.

"Preposterous," she retorted, "now I don't care if you think you can pass this off as what you did over the summer, but I want to hear what you really did. No matter how boring it is." Mrs. Botterill's face softened again as she looked at the angry teens. "On a side note, I'd like to ask your permission to get these published." Sora and Kairi's faces slipped from angered to disbelief.

"Why?" they asked slowly.

"Because," Botterill explained, "even though I'm giving you both a zero until you give me the truth, I couldn't put your work down after I started reading it yesterday. I have a feeling that they could become bestsellers." Kairi looked at Sora, confused wonder in her eyes.

"We can make money from telling our story?" she asked. Sora shrugged. _Worth a shot_, he thought, _even though they might not believe us_. Kairi seemed to get his message just by the look on his face. She turned back to their teacher. "Go ahead." Mrs. Botterill nodded and began shooing them from her office when a question popped into her head.

"I have to ask though," she said, "did you two read each other's work?" They shook their heads, wondering why she would ask that question. They left the office, leaving their English teacher to speculate how everything could be pieced together do well without them even looking at each other's work.

* * *

Most of the rest of the day passed without event, although Sora noticed the sky darkening a little during gym, he shrugged it off preferring not to dwell on it.

Arriving in block four, right after starting acids and bases in chemistry in which Sora had a little experiment with thunder magic that only Kairi saw, they were greeted by a cheering class, and a Yuffie who was clinging her side a little, wearing her attire.

"Oh," she moaned, "I ate too much pie yesterday with Riku." Kairi raised an eyebrow at her teacher as Sora went to 'entertain' Tidus and Wakka.

"What were you doing eating pie with Riku?" she asked. Yuffie belched a small burp.

"Excuse me, he needed help getting rid of the fifteen pies he had ready in case you two chose pie for the party. So I offered to help him out." She couldn't stifle a tiny giggle. "Don't tell him Kairi, but I think I'm starting to like him." Kairi took the hint and raised one hand to her lips drawing it to the other side, making a small zipping sound. Yuffie nodded. "Good," she said, "good."

"Hey if you two are done," Axel in his red hoodie called from across the room, "we have a class to teach here. Sora, Kairi come here too." Yuffie smiled and grabbed Kairi's hand, dragging her over to Axel as Sora cautiously staggered up. He looked inquisitively at Kairi who was just as confused as he was before they were spun around to face the class. "These two are going to help us teach today," Axel announced. Sora pulled himself out of Axel's grip and spun around.

"What?" he asked, shocked. Axel raised his hands in defense.

"Hey it wasn't my idea, it was the headmaster's. I know you guys are the best here, but I would never have thought of having you two teach." Sora sighed, there would be no escaping it if the headmaster ordered it.

"What do we have to do?" Kairi asked in resignation.

"Split into groups," Yuffie ordered, "Selphie, Brittany you're one group. Tidus, Michael you're group two. Wakka, John you guys are group three. Axel will instruct Tidus and Michael, I'll instruct group three, and Sora and Kairi can instruct Selphie and Brittany." The students left to grab weapons from the chest by the dent metal door, and Axel gave Sora and Kairi two more wooden swords. "Sorry about his you guys," Yuffie said quietly, "but orders are orders." Sora looked up.

"Don't worry about it," he said pounding his chest, "we can handle it," he added a last bit in an undertone, "I hope." Selphie and Brittany lined up, facing each other before turning to their two 'teachers'.

"Well," Kairi started, "Let's see what you've got. Go for it, spar."

Selphie nodded and turned to her opponent, determined to prove herself in front of Sora and Kairi. She shook hands with Brittany before getting into a fighting stance. She wanted to show them what she was made of, and began with a powerful blow from over her head. Brittany jumped back just in time to avoid the wooden blade crashing to her head. She raised her weapon and quickly hit Selphie on the side. It was over before it even began. Kairi and Sora shook their heads in their hands.

"You should never have given her that opportunity Selphie," Sora sighed as he approached her. Selphie's eyes began to tear up. She had failed to impress him, now that he was a sought after commodity. Sora noticed her tears, but could not determine the cause. "Hey, don't cry," he said, comforting her. "Lots of people make mistakes when they first start out, it looked to me that your problem there was overconfidence." Selphie shook her head as Kairi walked up to try and offer her support.

"That wasn't it," Selphie leaked out, "it was because I wanted to impress you Sora." Sora and Kairi were stunned.

"Selphie, why did you want to impress Sora?" Kairi asked quizzically. Selphie shook her head again, refusing to meet her eyes.

"I wanted to impress you, because half of the girls in the school suddenly have a crush on you."

"Really," said Sora in disbelief, "I didn't know that. But Selphie, why would you want to impress me? I love Kairi."

"I know that," she sniffled out, "but I thought that if you saw I could fight too, then, then…" Kairi finished for her, realization striking her like a dead fish.

"Then Sora would miraculously dump me and chase after you?" she said, hands on her hips. She shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Selphie, why don't you try to woo Tidus, or Wakka, or John…?" Brittany rudely interrupted Kairi.

"You stay away from John!" she said angrily. "He is mine." Selphie glared at Brittany, raising her sword.

"I will try to date whoever I want," she said, taking the challenge and waving her sword.

"Don't waste everything in a powerful blow," Sora whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "that leaves you wide open if you miss."

"Use quick thrusts and slashes that are easy to recover from if they're parried instead," Kairi quietly advised. Selphie nodded and threw herself at her foe, a flurry of slashes preceding her. Sora grabbed Kairi and leapt out of the way as Brittany wildly retaliated, forcing Selphie to pull back. "Move your feet," Kairi advised as Selphie attempted to stand her ground under the barrage. "It's better to give up ground and be able to defend yourself and come back than stand in one place and fall to a blow you were unable to block." Brittany gasped as Selphie pulled back and threw a slash. She had to arch her back and twist to avoid it. Now she was on the defensive.

"Why are you guys helping her and not both of us?" she gasped.

"Because you seem to know what you're doing," Sora said before looking at Kairi. "When did you learn so much?" he asked quietly. She smiled and pecked his cheek.

"When I was training," she replied so only he could hear, "I read the Art of War, and applied it to single combat." Sora nodded.

"I love you," he said quietly, turning his attention back to the fight. Kairi smiled and hugged him with one arm.

"I know," she replied. "Why did you say that now?" Sora looked down sadly as Selphie began fleeing.

"I," he began before sighing. "Being gone for a year and coming back to find that I did love you made me realize how often I should have told you. So I'm going to remind you at least once a day that I do." Kairi smiled, noticing that Selphie had regained her courage, and had a sweating Brittany on the ropes.

"I don't need reminding," she said before grabbing his neck and quickly kissing him. Sora was shocked, but passionately worked his magic on her, his fingers dancing on her back sending electric tingles down her spine. "But," she began, breaking apart, "a reminder is always nice. I love you too, you lazy bum." She looked back to Selphie who was about to deliver the finishing blow, and win.

"I'm still a lazy bum?" Sora chuckled as Kairi rested her head on his shoulder.

"You slept for a year," she said as Brittany's weak squeal of pain signified that Selphie had won. "You'll always be my lazy bum."

* * *

The party was held that night on the field outside the school. Every member of Sora and Kairi's block four class had been invited, as well as the Blitzball team, Riku, his mother and father, Sora's mother, Kairi's parents, any member of the faculty who wished to come, and anyone from any teacher's class who the news was leaked to, which was quite a few people. Axel and Yuffie were dishing out the crème brulée, and people all around were drinking punch, and dancing to music. Axel had set up a big screen television, upon which Sora and Kairi's duel with Xemnas would later be displayed. Kairi's parents arrived amid the splendor to see Kairi dancing in her white halter-top with Sora, him twirling her around as they dancing to the quick tune. Thankfully for Kairi it wasn't a slow song and they weren't slow dancing, or else Seymour wouldn't have shrugged it off when Janet laid a hand on his steaming shoulder.

"Let them have fun honey," she said slowly, "after all it is their party." Seymour 'humphed' as they made their way to the food where Anne was waiting for them.

"What did they even do to deserve a party?" he asked sourly.

"Don't be such a sourpuss Seymour," Anne said, shoving his shoulder. "Don't you remember the parties we had when we were teenagers?"

"Of course I do," he growled, taking a sip of punch, "but I didn't have a teenage daughter then." Anne and Janet giggled as Axel and Yuffie ran up to the stage.

"Alright!" Axel yelled into the mic, "you all having fun yet?" Many shouts came from the crowd. "I said are you having fun yet?" Axel yelled out crowd screamed its approval.

"As long as you don't say 'Got it memorized?' I'll be having fun!" Sora yelled up to him. The crowd laughed and Axel waved his hand, looking down with a grin.

"Good one," Riku said next to Sora and Kairi.

"Keep quiet Roxas. Alright, as some of you know we are here today to party and watch an awesome recording of a fight that occurred in the simulator yesterday." He paused for applause, "but what many of you don't know, is that we are also here today to celebrate those two combatants finally hooking up, so let's all give a hand to Sora and Kairi! Got that memorized?" Axel grinned and the two teens blushed and looked around as a spotlight came on them.

"Jeeze, I feel like I'm the groom at a wedding reception," Sora whispered to Kairi. She smiled warmly.

"Then why don't we play the part and give them what they want?" she asked slyly. Sora took the hint and wrapped his arm around her waist, brining her in as they kissed amid the many whoops, hollers, and whistles. Seymour could feel his blood boiling as his wife and Anne began whispering to each other as to how they knew it was inevitable, and what a cute couple they made.

"Now," Yuffie roared into the microphone, "let's take a look at the clip!" She raised her hand and clicked the play button on the remote she held. The scene in the simulator began unfolding straight from the beginning, with the gang atop the Altar of Naught. Seymour did not even spare a glance at the screen as he barged into the crowd, grabbing Kairi by the arm and pulling her back to her mother and Anne, hotly pursued by Sora and Riku.

"What the hell are you doing?" they all asked Seymour quietly so as not to disturb everyone watching the simulation.

"Is there a problem?" Axel asked as he and Yuffie left the stage and saw them congregating.

"Of course there's a problem," Seymour growled and pointed a finger at Sora. "That boy is with my daughter!" Yuffie looked at him skeptically.

"What's the problem in that? Don't you love Kairi Sora?" Sora looked deeply into Kairi's blue eyes, and inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume.

"Yeah," he said breathlessly, "more than anything." Anne gazed fondly at her son before turning her attention to Seymour.

"So, what's the problem?" She asked, repeating Yuffie's question. Seymour's expression hardened as he looked at Anne.

"I don't like him," he snarled at her. Anne glared at Seymour, fire in her eyes.

"So my son's not good enough for you?" she growled, daggers flying between their eyes. Sora saw Kairi's eyes widen and begin to tear up in fear. He quickly embraced her and began stroking her back in a comforting gesture.

"It's okay," he softly cooed, "everything's going to be fine." Seymour flashed his eyes at the two, hearing Sora's words. He charged them like the Beast and ripped them apart, tears shining on both faces.

"Stay away from my daughter boy," he snapped. "I won't have you date her as long as I live." Riku got in between him and the other two.

"Hey, back off man!" he snarled. "They have a right to be together after the hell that Maleficent and the Organization put them through." Janet cautiously approached her husband, hurting at every tear she saw on her daughter's face.

"Seymour, why do you hate Sora so?" His eyes flashed in outrage at the group around him.

"Why? I'll tell you why," he snarled. "That boy had the nerve to leave these islands without a word to his mother, his teachers, his headmaster, or even me! The mayor! He goes gallivanting around the worlds on some perilous quest to save them from darkness and doesn't immediately try to save my daughter who he supposedly loves. Then after he wins, he has the guts to go to sleep for a year and make everyone forget about him. When he wakes up, he still isn't done! Meanwhile, everyone suddenly remembers him and his mother is worried sick with grief. His involvement in the affairs of the other worlds caused my daughter to be kidnapped by some vile Organization."

"Watch what you say about Organization XIII," Axel snarled. "It may be gone, but Roxas and I have a lot of fond memories of our time in it!"

"Then he arrives with a bunch of giant animal off worlders without a care in the world as to how much school he has missed," Seymour continued unabated, "or how worried everyone was about him. He is the most irresponsible boy I've ever met! At least Riku would be able to protect my daughter." Kairi's eyes hardened at her father's words, her tears becoming ones of anger. Riku looked down ashamedly.

"I kidnapped Kairi for the enemy," he muttered quietly. "I didn't save her. Sora did."

"Irresponsible!" Kairi cried in outrage, touched at Riku's honesty while still angry at her father, "Sora is the most responsible young man in the universe. He has the safety of the worlds on his shoulders! He has hundreds of people who depend on him for their world's safety. You only run the towns on these islands; you don't protect them from harm." Her eyes glistened as she walked towards Sora and grasped his hand. "I love him, and if he has to fight again, I'll fight too." Seymour gasped while everyone else beamed at her.

"No," he ordered, making a grab for her wrist. She dodged it and faced him, summoning the Oathkeeper into her hands.

"You see this?" Kairi asked, pointing her blade at Seymour. "This is the Oathkeeper. I gave Sora my good luck charm in Traverse Town and he placed it on his keyblade, creating this weapon. He named it the Oathkeeper because he made an oath to come back to me and bring my lucky charm back. Now it's name serves a dual purpose, because we made a promise to be together." Her grip tightened and she arrayed herself into a readied stance. "And I intend to keep that oath."

Seymour laughed. "You would fight your own father?" he asked.

"Father?" she growled, "what father have you been? You haven't been there for me, Mom has. When I was grieving the loss of my memory of Sora, you wouldn't listen, only Mom would. You rarely see me, you're always working at the office, and when you do see me, you rarely ask how my day was, only who I've been with or making sure I was home before curfew. All you ever do at home is eat, sleep, drink, and watch old tapes of spherecasts of Blitz games. I have received love from everyone here, except you. Maybe because I'm not really you're child, just a princess from another world." Everyone looked stunned except Seymour.

"Kairi," Sora said slowly, "what a terrible thing to say." She looked at him, anger still in her eyes.

"Well it's true!" she retorted. Seymour started laughing.

"So what if you have a weapon, you probably don't know how to use it. You can't hurt me." Axel recovered from his shock first.

"Actually," he started, ruffling Kairi's red hair, "she's the top of the class." Kairi and Sora looked at him, stunned. Before either of them could ask Axel raised his hand. "You're getting graded differently Roxas." Sora raised an eyebrow.

"And why's that?" he asked arrogantly. Axel laughed and pulled a silver book out from his hoodie.

"Need I remind you, oh master of the keyblade," he chuckled before opening the book. "Let's see," he said flipping the pages, "here we go. Heartless. Shadows, defeated 1 237. Soldiers, defeated 784. Oh where are a few good ones? Oh, Armored Knights, defeated 5 236. Rapid Thrusters, defeated, oh my, 24 942. No wonder there were so many hearts in our Kingdom Hearts. Need I continue?" he asked snapping the book shut. Seymour looked skeptically at Axel.

"Fine, so Sora can protect my daughter…" Kairi interrupted him.

"I'm not your daughter!" he continued as if nothing had happened.

"But that doesn't mean that she can fight." As a response, Yuffie jabbed her thumb up at the screen. Seymour looked up and his eyes grew wide in horror. The screen was currently playing the section of the simulation where Sora, Kairi, and simulation Riku were fighting Xemnas on his throne. Seymour's tongue grew dry as he witnessed Sora and Kairi deliver the finishing blows to his chest and neck. He watched as the scene atop the Altar unfolded, including Kairi's proclamation that she and Sora would be together everyday. Tears actually glistened in his eyes as he saw rips in her uniform, and blood flowing down her skin as they took to the air. In silence they watched until the final blow was struck and Xemnas finally disappeared.

Seymour was on his knees, choking down the hot, salty tears. "I never knew," he choked out amid the applause. "I never knew just how much you all have suffered just to get back home together. I mean, I thought I knew but…"

"But you thought it was all just some fantasy that we were making up," Riku asked coldly. "That we were lying through our teeth the whole time and feeding you sweet tales of adventure, never once saying just how close any of us were to dying when we fought. Well we wouldn't give you the gruesome details of every battle and we wouldn't tell you how many times we almost lost. We knew all of you would be worried sick and rush us straight to the hospital and keep us there for a year if we had told you about some of our wounds." Riku lifted up the left side of his shirt to reveal a scar about five inches long running from his side to his chest.

"I got this scar from the battle with Xemnas," he said. Sora flinched and looked down at his side, but no one noticed except for Riku, who continued as if he hadn't. "That time Sora had been in Kairi's position in the simulation run. He was the one who Xemnas was trying to steal a heart from, and he was the one who almost lost his head there. I blocked the attack with my body, and this is the reward from it. Believe it or not, Zexion was harder. He didn't look like a fighter, carrying a book, but the pages he sent at me from it were razor sharp, and I was all alone." Seymour wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve before standing up and looking at Kairi.

"Kairi, forgive me," he said. "I know I haven't been that much of a father to you. Probably for the reasons you gave me. But, I understand if you don't want to, but could you, possibly give me a second chance?" he pleaded. Kairi dismissed the Oathkeeper and looked at her father, tears in her eyes.

"All I ever wanted was a father who cared for me," she said quietly. Seymour looked heartbroken at what he had done, but Kairi suddenly rushed at him and hugged him. "Everyone deserves a second chance Dad, use yours wisely." Her father placed his hands on her back, and hugged her.

"Don't worry my dear," he said softly, "I will. From now on, you two have my blessing." Everyone released a collective sigh of relief as Kairi squealed in delight and rushed at Sora, giving him a passionate kiss now that they could truly be together. Riku glanced away from the two as he suddenly felt a dark presence that was very familiar.

"Sorry to break up this heartfelt union," he said, "but we've got trouble." Sora and Kairi broke apart.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Before Riku could answer, a shadow leapt up from the ground and charged at the two. Before either of them could react Riku had drawn Way to the Dawn and sliced the Heartless in half. A cloud of darkness remained as they stood there.

"Heartless trouble!" Riku yelled. Sora and Kairi needed no further encouragement. Kairi brought the Oathkeeper back out while Sora summoned forth the Oblivion. Axel pulled out his chakrams in a spectacle of fire and Yuffie grabbed her large shuriken.

"All weapons training students and teachers, listen up!" Axel yelled into the crowd as Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Yuffie began running around trying to set up a perimeter from which they could successfully defend the crowd. "We are under siege by Heartless. I need all of you to wait patiently until I return with weapons for you all. Don't do anything stupid." The crowd laughed as Axel made his proclamation. They had never heard anything more ludicrous. Under siege by what? They were still laughing when two shadows approached the edge of the crowd. "Watch out!" Axel yelled, pointing his finger towards the shadows. They looked in the direction he was pointing, and began to panic. Axel shook his head before a demented look claimed his visage. He twirled his chakrams in the air in front of him, fire spinning all around them. "BURN!" he shouted mightily. His chakrams sped towards each shadow and tore them to pieces, flames crackling merrily within the darkness. They flew back to him as the heartless disappeared in puffs of smoke. The crowd settled as he looked them over again. "Now stay put and stay calm. Roxas! Princess! Get over here! I need you two to keep this side safe until I return!" Sora viciously slashed a shadow to pieces, a cloud of darkness remaining.

"Sure thing Axel!" he yelled, motioning for Kairi to follow him. "And don't call me Roxas!" Tidus looked in awe at the two of them as they made their way through the crowd.

"Those weapons are real," he stuttered as they passed him by. Kairi half turned while running.

"What? The keyblades? Of course they're real." Mrs. Botterill happened to be in the front and overheard them. _They were telling the truth_, she realized when she saw them flash past.

"Sora, Kairi!" she called loudly as they took up their positions.

"What now?" Sora asked angrily.

"I was wrong, you both get a hundred on the assignment." Sora grinned as they nodded at her before looking around. There were Heartless here all right. Only a couple dozen though, and all of them were simple shadows.

"Time to take care of business," Sora stated as he charged at the little shadows, taking each out with a single slash of his keyblade. They were far too weak for Sora to string together any combos, or do any type of finishing move. Before Sora could even really begin, he had slain every Heartless in his sight. He looked around as he removed his eyes from the tufts of darkness that remained. Kairi was just finishing the last of her group, and Riku and Yuffie had finished off the Heartless attacking them. Kairi walked up to Sora, confusion striking her.

"This can't be all of them, right?" she asked, concerned. Sora shook his head.

"There's no way this could be everything, they were too easy," he crossed his arms, thinking. "Something's up."

"All too right, Keyblade bearer," a voice from the above them said. "Something is up." Sora and Kairi looked skywards and saw a woman with blue hair wearing an Organization XIII cloak hovering above them.

"Hey!" Sora yelled, "I thought I got rid of all you guys!" The woman laughed and brushed her sleeves.

"That you did, Sora, but these were hanging around our base and my master Maleficent thought it best to garb myself and my companion in something familiar to you." Kairi's eyes widened in horror.

"Maleficent!" she gasped. The woman looked at her and gave an evil smile.

"Ah, I see you are here too princess. Good, that makes my job easier." Sora looked confused at her previous statement.

"Wait, companion? That means there's another one of you!" She laughed.

"Yes, I have a companion. Please forgive me I have forgotten my manners. My name is Cossex, the Thought Crusher. I am a Nobody, and I hope you remember us well." She cackled evilly and waved her hand. Four Dusks and two Samurai surrounded Sora and Kairi. Roxas faded in.

"Don't worry you two," Roxas said after seeing the Samurai. "I've got this." He looked at the two Samurai, who were adancing towards Sora and Kairi. "You two," he ordered the Samurai, "kill off those Dusks." Miraculously, the Samurai nodded and drew their katanas, slicing each Nobody. Cossex raised her eyebrows.

"Ah, Number XIII, such an honor to meet you." She said mockingly, giving him a low bow.

"Can it Nobody!" Roxas yelled. "I'm no longer associated with them!" She chuckled.

"Of course you aren't, yet you still maintain control of the Samurai Nobodies. That speaks volumes about whether you are or not," Cossex said sarcastically. Roxas growled at her, his face contorted in anger.

"Hey guys! I'm back!" Axel yelled, lugging a large beige sack over his back. He quickly looked up and spotted Cossex. "Oh crap," he muttered. "Students and Teachers, grab a weapon from the sack! Everyone else, flee!" Everyone began to panic again as Axel gave his orders to flee. "Sora, Kairi! Go seal the Keyhole and get the hell off the islands! Head for the castle!" They looked confused at Axel.

"But, why?" Sora asked. Axel shook his head angrily.

"Don't ask questions! GO!" He ordered. They looked back towards their parents. Anne nodded.

"We don't want you to go," she said slowly, "but if you must, you must. Go, save the worlds. Make us proud." Sora smiled at his mother and blew a kiss towards her. He began sprinting off towards the beach, Kairi and Roxas hot on his heels.

"Not so fast!" Cossex screeched as she pointed her hands at the three. "Mind Crush!" Sora and Roxas doubled over in agony, clutching their heads. Kairi was unaffected as she ran past the two.

"C'mon Sora," she called over her shoulder, before seeing him writhing on the ground. "Sora!" she yelled in anxiety, rushing at him as Naminé suddenly burst in and ran at Roxas. She skidded to a halt next to her love and leaned over him. "Sora, get up! Get up! We have to get out of here." Sora cried in agony, the pain on his brain was too much. Roxas was equally disturbed and pained. He had already suffered mental pain when he was regaining his own memories, but it was nothing like what he felt now. Kairi seemed to forget things happening all around them as she held Sora in her arms. She didn't notice hordes of Heartless appearing, Axel arriving to defend them shouting his head off, or even the light cascading from her fingertips that seemed to be healing Sora of the pain. All she could see in the blur was Sora, slowly regaining his consciousness, the pain receding.

"My head feels like it's been in a vice," he said slowly, standing up. Kairi laughed and hugged him.

"Your okay," she said softly, her words caressing the weakened Sora.

"If you two are quite done," Axel snapped, burning six shadows away as Tidus swiped at two more, "go and seal the keyhole and head to Disney Castle. We have a Gummi ship waiting for you on the peak of the island you guys play on." Sora nodded, regaining his composure, as Roxas faded back into him having been healed by Naminé in the same fashion.

"C'mon Sora," Kairi said, rising into the air. Sora began sprinting before leaping into the air. Time was of the essence.

"We have to get away from Cossex as fast as we can," he bellowed, trying to overcome the wind with his voice. "I don't know what will happen if she does that again." Kairi nodded and flew just behind and under him, ready to catch him should he fall. Little did they know that Cossex was being held at bay only through the combined efforts of Riku and Yuffie and Axel. Sora sped over the waves as fast as he could, ignoring the sea spray that wetted his face. He was flying so fast that within seconds he had already landed by the hole that led into the secret place. Kairi plopped onto the ground beside him, panting at the exertion of flying so quickly. Sora pulled out the Oblivion as they entered.

The large brown door with no handle was waiting for them, a shiny blue outline of a keyhole upon it. Sora raised his keyblade and golden stars came out of nowhere and circled the tip, emitting a beam of white light that shot straight into the keyhole. They heard a metallic click as the keyhole to their world's heart sealed, and the keyhole along with the door faded away, leaving only the keyhole's imprint upon the gray stone. Sora turned to go, it was done. Never again would their world be destroyed. Outside, Sora looked up to see a red and yellow ship resting on their island's peak. He chuckled.

"I wonder why we never noticed the _Highwind_?" he asked out of the blue, rising into the sky. Kairi followed, praying that Cossex was not stalking them.

"Hurry!" Kairi called as the ascended, "she may be after us." They landed and Sora dashed in, raising the landing ramp with all speed possible. Hurrying onto the bridge, Sora sat himself down in the captain's chair and strapped himself in, powering up the ship's engines. Kairi looked lost as she watched Sora making all the necessary preparations and pre-flight diagnostic checks. She slowly walked towards one of the chairs flanking him and sat down, awed by the appearance of the ship's bridge. Blinking lights were everywhere and Sora was staring down at a console covered in buttons, his face screwed up in a look of anxious anticipation. Kairi peered out through the large transparent dome they were in.

"We're good to go," Sora said as he powered up the engines. He grabbed the controls and started accelerating out of their world. "Engines at full throttle," he said as the ship flew through the air at an intense speed, pressing Kairi back into her chair because of the forces at work on her body, finally reaching the dark depths of space. The pressure stopped and Kairi rose from her seat to look at their home. Sora unbuckled himself and put the _Highwind_ on autopilot, rising from his own chair to stand next to Kairi. There were tears in her eyes as she looked at their quickly shrinking islands. Sora had only seen a world covered in darkness once before, but he never thought that the same thing could happen on his own home as it did in the then Hollow Bastion.

"Will we ever see them again?" she asked quietly, barely above a whisper. Sora took her hand in his and lightly kissed it, his eyes meeting hers.

"Don't worry Kai," he cooed softly. "We'll see it again, I know we will." Kairi wept openly, hugging Sora, as their world vanished into a small speck of light. "I know we will."

_Riku,_ he thought to himself, _make sure we do_.

* * *

Cossex strode angrily into the meeting hall in the Castle That Never Was. Maleficent, Pete, Pete's son PJ, and another cloaked figure were waiting for her. Maleficent was not happy when she entered, but concealed her anger.

"You have failed me Cossex," she stated. "I thought you told me that turning Sora into a heartless would be a mere trifle. And where is the princess I asked for?" Cossex glared at her.

"Don't talk to me about her!" she spat. "It's because of that girl, her Nobody, their friend, and the King's lackeys that the brat got away! I hate her! She somehow was unaffected by my mind breaking powers! And she could heal Sora of the agony!" Cossex banged her fists down on the table in front of her. Maleficent smirked.

"I thought she might be immune," she postulated, "it is because of that light inside of her that she is unaffected. The light calms, soothes, and caresses her mind, leaving it shielded from external disturbances." Cossex wheeled angrily to face Maleficent.

"Then why didn't you tell me that?" she snapped, eyes blazing.

"I wasn't entirely sure myself, but the fact that she can heal and probably even prevent your powers from taking affect on Sora is a problem." Pete pounded his chest.

"If you had sent me Maleficent," he began, "that Sora would be a heartless by now. Nobody messes with the mighty Pete!" Maleficent glared at him.

"You!" she spat. "You have failed in every task I have given you! You couldn't even turn Master Yen Sid into a heartless! If I had sent you, Sora wouldn't have been writhing in pain, he would have been writhing in laughter, you useless imbecile!" PJ and the cloaked man sniggered.

"What are you laughing at boy?" Pete asked his son, affronted.

"Well Pop," PJ began, "after all I've heard, you kinda would have gotten whooped if you tried." Pete raised his fist, about to strike his own son, but suddenly slumped down in defeat. _PJ is probably right_, he thought glumly, _I have gotten beaten a few times by that punk_.

"If Kairi can keep Sora from being affected by your powers Cossex," Maleficent began, addressing everyone in the room, "then we must remove her from the picture long enough for you to grab Sora and bring him to me. I want to turn him into a heartless personally. At least we know he is powerless to confront you." She dismissed the Nobodies with a wave of her hand. After making sure they were gone Maleficent gazed at Pete. "Go forth," she ordered, "go forth to each world. If you happen to meet Sora, do not engage him! Send a message here, then wait for our Nobody friends to arrive." Maleficent cackled. PJ excused himself from the room. It was not proper for one such as him to be around when Maleficent was cackling her evil cackle.

_I better tell Max and King Mickey about this_, he thought.

* * *

_There we go! The Spring Break chapter. Hope you all enjoy it, and please review._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	9. The Plan

_Now we get to the adventuring part of the story! Where were all of you guys anyway? Spring Break? Every other chapter had at least ten to fifteen reviews by the end of the day._

_Oh well, read and review!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix +, that unfortunately came out only in Japan last Thursday. Nor do I own the rights to Kingdom Hearts or Disney._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter IX: The Plan

Sora led a sleepy Kairi away from the bridge of the _Highwind_, towards the cabin where there were three doors that were arrayed in a semi-circular pattern on one side. She dimly noticed that there was a large, comfy couch in the center behind a large television set with surround sound and several DVD and game consoles spread around it. Sora led her to the door on the right.

"This can be your room," he said softly, so as not to hurt her ears in her drowsy state. "There is a nice queen-sized bed inside, and an adjacent bathroom. There is also a door into the center room, which is mine. If you need anything, I'll be right next door." Kairi nodded slowly in understanding.

"Thanks, Sora," she said before releasing a yawn that stretched from ear to ear. "Good night." He lightly pecked her cheek before she entered her room with a 'whoosh'.

"Good night Kairi," he whispered. She nodded her head before stumbling towards her bed, the door closing behind her. It was too dark to see much, but she snuggled under the blankets and instantly fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.

Kairi awoke next morning when the lights automatically turned on. She winced and pulled the covers over her head, opting for a few more minutes of sleep.

_Ten more minutes Mom_, she thought lazily, eyes shut tight.

_Come on sleepyhead_, Naminé prodded. _It's eight fifteen. Sora's already been up for the last half hour making breakfast_. Kairi admitted defeat and yawned widely, pulling the blue covers off of her.

_That's sweet of him_, she thought before examining her room. In one glance she knew it had to have been Donald's. It was blue almost everywhere, with spare staffs, and wizard hats lying around and a great big portrait of a female duck wearing a purple dress on the wall. Kairi walked up to the door. _All that blue will have to go_, she thought as the door opened for her with a whoosh.

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, no more blue. Now go and get a spot of breakfast_.

_Um one problem_, Kairi thought while looking around the cabin, puzzled. _Where's the kitchen?_ Before Naminé could answer, Kairi could smell eggs and bacon, the scent wafting from down the hallway. A dreamy look came over her face as her nose led the way. The hallways had a plain, cold, steel floor that chilled her bare feet as she ran her fingers along the interior of the red hull. It seemed a little gloomy at first, but Kairi then noticed that there were many end tables bolted down to the floor with vases full of colourful flowers clamped onto them. She turned her nose away from the smell of breakfast for a moment and traipsed up to smell a particularly pretty group of flowers. Kairi inhaled deeply, the sweet perfume of the flowers invigorating her. She looked up to see a painting of a white castle with blue roofs on its many towers and bailey.

Kairi was still gazing at the painting when Sora came out of the nearest doorway with a white apron on. He spotted her and ambled in her direction. Kairi looked up and smiled when she heard his footsteps, toes ringing on the metal floor.

"Morning," he said lightly, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her. Or, he would have been able to kiss her, had Kairi not been giggling madly as he held her off the floor.

"Sora," she began sweetly, "are you always like this in the morning?" He grinned.

"Only when I'm with a pretty girl," he responded, finally achieving the kiss he desired as Kairi ceased her giggling.

"But I'm not ready yet," she pouted as they broke apart. Sora grinned as he set Kairi back on her feet.

"You're always beautiful," he whispered, pecking her cheek. Kairi turned back to the painting.

"Sora," she asked, "what is that place?" Sora stopped gazing at her face and turned to the painting.

"Oh, that's a painting of Disney Castle." He replied before raising his fingers to his chin. "Donald seemed to know a fair amount about it. I can't remember much of what he said." Quite quickly a transparent Roxas ran out of the kitchen, making a beeline for Sora.

"Sorry to interrupt this art history lesson," he panted, "but Sora, the bacon is burning." Sora's eyes grew wide as he dashed off into the kitchen, cursing under his breath. Kairi giggled as she saw him race through the doorway. Roxas simply shook his head, a smile on his face.

"Roxas," Kairi inquired, slowly ambling towards the doorway with Roxas accompanying her, "why is Sora wearing an apron?" Roxas barked a laugh.

"Oh, Sora had to spend ten minutes explaining that," he said as they walked through the doorway. "Something about Goofy trying to cook once and somehow getting grease all over both his and Donald's clothes. They became stained of course and Donald threw a fit, conjuring up aprons for all three of them to use when in the kitchen. I guess even without Donald, it has become ingrained in Sora to wear an apron when cooking." Kairi stifled a giggle as she observed Sora dashing about, saving his bacon and setting the table for two. The kitchen was really a kitchen/dining room. There was a pantry by the doorway, and a black fridge on the other side. The white stove currently had a cooling frying pan on one of its burners, and there were a few dishes in the sink. The wooden counter was surprisingly clean and devoid of foreign articles. A mahogany table rested on the other side of the counter, already laden with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. A few padded chairs surrounded the table.

Sora finished setting the table and untied his apron, tossing it expertly onto one of three hooks by the spice rack. He pulled out a chair and motioned for Kairi to sit down as Roxas zipped back into his mind. She took the offered seat and Sora sat down next to her.

"How did you sleep Kairi?" he asked before tucking in to a piece of nice, crispy bacon. Kairi smiled as she swallowed her mouthful of toast.

"I had a surprisingly good sleep," she said before her shoulders drooped, "considering what happened last night." Sora noticed her shaky voice and looked at her in anxiety.

"Don't dwell on that Kairi," he said, trying to comfort her. "It isn't a good habit to get into. We sealed the keyhole, and Riku and Yuffie won't let us down." Kairi shook her head.

"But what happens if there are too many heartless? And the islands are destroyed?" Sora shook his head, not catching her drift.

"But, the keyhole is sealed," he insisted. "The islands can't be destroyed again." Kairi pounded her fists on the table, clattering the plates.

"That isn't what I mean Sora," she growled, her voice slowly sinking from one of frustration to despair. "What happens if the islands become absolutely overrun with heartless, and all of our friends and family are either killed or lose their hearts to them?" Tears were falling freely as she looked at Sora is desperation. "What happens if the town, the buildings, the trees, plants, and even paopu tree are destroyed?" Sora's eyes grew wide in fear as he contemplated the new meanings of the destruction of the islands. Images of his mother and friends lying dead floated through his eyes as heartless wandered freely around a burning and destroyed town. Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to see Kairi in front of him again, standing on her feet. Sora rose from his chair and embraced Kairi, her falling into his arms. "What happens if Cossex is too strong?" she sniffled. Sora rubbed her back, trying to comfort her when his own fear matched hers.

"I don't know Kairi," he whispered. "But I'm scared." They broke apart and she looked strangely at him. Sora, scared? He sat down on his chair and placed his head in his hands. "I haven't been scared of any foe before," he explained weakly, "but she scares me. Nobody has had that effect on me before. Not even Sephiroth did." He shuddered, remembering her powers. Kairi stood behind his chair and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her head next to his.

"What did she do?" she asked him quietly. Sora gasped and clasped her hands in one of his before turning his head slightly in her direction, tears streaming from his cerulean eyes.

"She," he stuttered. "She showed me images of you, Kairi. Images of you being tortured and dying, and while she was at it she hurt me. Like she was hitting my head with a sledgehammer. It felt as if it would last forever before it subsided. I, I don't know what happened to stop it, or if I can take that pain again." Kairi silently wept and rubbed her cheek sympathetically against Sora's, doing all she could to comfort him when someone spoke.

"I do."

Kairi slowly spun her head and Sora looked weakly in the direction the voice came from. Naminé was standing at the head of the table. Her face was emanating concern, yet she was also smirking.

"You may not have noticed Kairi," she began, "but while you were cradling Sora and I was holding Roxas, light came from our fingertips, healing and protecting them. You and Roxas don't have to bear the pain Sora, as long as you keep Kairi with you." Kairi sighed softly as she looked down at Sora.

"Don't worry Sora," she cooed, hugging him tightly, "I'm not leaving you." Sora lightly kissed the hands he was still clinging to.

"I love you."

"I know."

* * *

Sora landed the _Highwind_ in the Gummi hangar an hour later to meet an excited Chip and Dale, his chipmunk Gummi engineers.

"Howdy Sora!" called Dale as Sora and Kairi walked down the landing ramp. "Whatcha doing here? And who is that?" Sora smiled sadly at the two hyperactive rodents.

"Heartless attacked our home," Sora explained, "and Axel told us to come here. And this is Kairi my…" Sora stopped himself and looked at Kairi. "I guess I could call you my girlfriend right Kai?" She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. Sora began to panic. "That is if you want me to," he said hastily. "I don't have to say anything if you don't want me to. I know we haven't actually gone on any dates. Wait, why are you laughing?" Kairi had doubled over in laughter as Sora was panicking. It was incredibly funny in her opinion, as Sora, Chip, and Dale just looked on, clueless. Kairi wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.

"Oh Sora," she said weakly, eyes twinkling, "of course I'll be your girlfriend." She strode up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "And we could call those magic sessions and the simulator run unofficial dates too," she said slyly as she strode down the ramp, her hands behind her back.

"Sora is dating the princess?" Dale whispered to Chip, his paw trying to cover his mouth from their possible gaze.

"Looks that way," Chip muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Kairi walked up to the chipmunks and kneeled, offering her hand to them. Chip clambered onto it, pulling Dale up with him as Kairi laughed and twisted her palm so they could stand. She raised her hand so that they were level with her chin. Chip bowed. "Pleased to make your acquaintance your highness, my name is Chip."

"And I'm Dale," Dale piped up, also bowing. Kairi giggled nervously as she set them down.

"Please, just call me Kairi," she insisted. Chip and Dale saluted.

"Yes, your highness," Chip said before he caught himself, "I mean princess Kairi." She wearily shook her head, standing up again. Sora walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're going to be saying that a lot Kairi," he told her. "Most people here are going to end up treating you like a princess instead of a regular kid." She sighed as they walked out into the garden, the chipmunks running off to work on their Gummi. Kairi gasped as they entered the courtyard. They had just come out of what was a hedge, but had been sculpted into the shape of a castle. All around the garden path were other hedge statues that looked like the castle's residents, while spaced between them were bountiful flower gardens, bristling with blooming bulbous beauties. Kairi ambled towards the nearest one and knelt down, drinking in the scent of the flowers like a stimulant. She could sense the fragrance soothing her mind and removing all her worries from earlier that morning. _These flowers sure are wonderful_, she thought, standing back up.

_That they are_, Naminé said. Kairi looked over to Sora, who was lazing back on the lawn, ready to take a nap.

"Come on Sora," Kairi called, amused that he would want to take a nap now. Sora leapt onto his feet and walked to her side, before leading the way to the audience chamber.

"Sora, why were you trying to take a nap?" Kairi asked while they were walking. Sora yawned widely.

"I don't know," he said thickly. "It must be the courtyard. Those perfectly manicured lawns are just ripe for napping on in a nice sunny day, you know?" Kairi giggled a little as they approached the audience chamber. She looked at the doors, her smile slipping. _Those are huge_! she thought in awe. The white washed double doors were at least twenty feet high, with the doorknobs at least five feet above her head. Kairi rounded on Sora.

"How do we get in?" she asked. Sora chuckled to himself as he approached the left door. He knocked three times, and a regulation-sized door swung open. He motioned for a stunned Kairi to enter first. She smirked at him as she entered, annoyed that he couldn't warn her. Suddenly, she was struck down in awe again. The audience chamber was huge! It looked as if the red carpet she was standing on stretched for a mile before reaching the throne. Sora walked up behind her, quickly eying the distance they had to cover.

"Hang on," he advised as he quickly grabbed her around her waist.

"Wha-" Kairi started, confused, "Sora what are you doing?" Sora grinned as she threw an arm around his back, clutching his side. Sora began running before using Quick Run. Before Kairi knew what had happened, she was twelve feet further ahead than a moment ago. Before she could even recover Sora leapt into the air and began gliding above the floor, the wind whistling through their hair. Kairi laughed aloud as she came to realize that he was having fun in making the long walk become far shorter. She looked forward towards the golden throne and saw several figures standing around it. Sora landed and let go of Kairi a few feet away from the steps leading towards the throne. "That was fun," she whispered to him out of the corner of her mouth before they ascended.

"Glad you enjoyed it," he murmured. They approached the throne where King Mickey's face gravely awaited them. Coming to attention, they saluted him. "Your Majesty," Sora stated. "We are here because…" King Mickey silenced him with a wave.

"You two are here because heartless attacked the islands and Axel told you to leave right?" They slowly nodded, confused as to how he knew. Mickey sighed sadly as he got off of his throne, and walked towards them. Sora looked around to see who was standing around them. There was Donald and Goofy, a dog-person who looked like Goofy except was in his teens, Daisy in her purple dress, and Queen Minnie. Each of their shoulders had sagged and they looked sympathetically at the two teens. Sora looked back at the King, who sighed again. "I'm sorry," he said before looking around them. "Where's Riku?"

"He stayed behind with Axel and Yuffie," Kairi answered.

"Are they safe?" Goofy asked. Sora shook his head.

"We don't know," he answered shakily. "We don't know anything that happened after we fled from Cossex and locked the keyhole." Mickey looked up in worry.

"Oh no!" he cried. "She's powerful. I hope that they'll be okay." Sora nodded.

"I know," he said weakly, remembering again the scope of her powers. Donald and Goofy looked at each other in worry neither had seen Sora so shaken. Not even when he had lost Kairi again. Donald's face hardened.

"Don't worry," he quacked. "We'll handle her." Sora looked up at his duck friend in admiration.

"Thank you guys," he said warmly, nodding at them. Sora turned back to the King. "So what is Maleficent planning your Majesty? Why did she send Cossex to Destiny Islands?"

"Yeah," Kairi added, "why did she say that my being at the same place as Sora would make her job easier?" Mickey looked grimly at the two.

"Maleficent is planning to conquer the worlds again," he said. "And she is also planning to use her two Nobodies to help her round up the seven princesses again and open a new keyhole to darkness inside Kingdom Hearts. With that power, she would be able to conquer all the worlds and make an empire of darkness. Only this castle would be safe from her horde thanks to your previous effort to save the Cornerstone of Light." Sora scratched his head.

"Talk about a major problem. Wait, how do you know so much anyway?" Mickey turned his attention to the only other teenager in the room. Goofy hu-yucked.

"This is my son Max," he said, placing his hands on Max's shoulders. Sora and Kairi nodded, wondering why Goofy's son was here. Max shook his father's hands off of him.

"Yeah, I'm Max," he said nervously. "And my best friend PJ, is actually Pete's son." Sora and Kairi became shaken with shock.

"You mean your best friend works for Maleficent?" Sora gasped before shaking his head.

"Talk about déjà vu," Kairi said quietly. Max laughed.

"Oh, don't worry," he said with a smile. "PJ was never involved in any of Pete's numerous attempts to cause havoc here, and he is very loyal to his Majesty. He's a double agent on our side; Pete only grabbed him and took him off to Maleficent's base when he was out on patrol. Somehow because PJ is his son, he seems to think that he can trust him completely." Sora folded his arms upon hearing this.

"Pete may be brainless," he began, "but Maleficent isn't. She'll find him out sooner or later." Max sighed sadly.

"I know," he said quietly, "and PJ knows too. He said in his last transmission that he would try and get us as much information as possible before he becomes paranoid that she or her Nobodies are onto him. Then, he'll get out as soon as he can and come here."

"He's a very brave young man," Queen Minnie said. "And we are all proud of him." Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Daisy nodded their heads. Donald looked at Sora and Kairi.

"Well, now you that know what is going on here," he said, "how was life on the islands during your break?" Sora and Kairi caught eyes and blushed looking away from each other. These were their close friends for crying out loud! Mickey raised his eyebrows, as everyone else leaned in.

"Well, uh," Sora started, his face a beacon. Everyone leaned in further, Goofy even falling on Donald, neither noticing it. "Kairi and I are a couple now." If Donald and Goofy hadn't already fallen down, they would have. Kairi glanced at Sora and he gave a look that clearly said, 'I had to tell them.' Mickey, Donald, and Goofy started laughing whilst Daisy and Minnie sighed as dreamy looks came over them. Max just stood back, trying to keep is cool while he started thinking of a certain someone.

"You two are perfect for each other," Minnie sighed. "And after all you've been through it would be kind of hard for you two to not hook up right?" Donald broke from his laughing for a moment.

"Of course they would get together!" he quacked. "Sora used to pick moments on our journey where he would start thinking of her. And he used to spend hours gazing at her charm when he thought we weren't looking." Kairi looked at Sora, who had raised a fist towards the duck.

"You really did that?" she asked. Sora lowered his fist as he turned to her.

"Yeah," he said quietly, not remembering that they weren't alone. "When you weren't there, your charm was even more precious to me, reminding me of the promises I made. Especially the one when we parted to come back to you. That's why I called it the Oathkeeper." Kairi slowly walked forward and embraced him, paralyzing him in a blissful kiss.

"I love you," Kairi said softly when they broke the kiss. Sora smiled sweetly at his angelic princess.

"I know," he whispered, resting his forehead on hers. Donald sniggering at the two teens and Daisy glared at him.

"It isn't funny Donald!" she scolded. He immediately stopped laughing and gulped. Sora and Kairi looked, and blushed madly as they remembered where they were. Mickey smiled sadly.

"It is nice to know you two are together," he said slowly, "but I'm afraid Kairi is going to have to stay here." Everyone's eyes grew wide in shock.

_He can't do that!_ Roxas and Naminé fumed. Kairi flashed a look at Sora practically screaming 'remember Cossex!' Sora looked at King Mickey.

"Your Majesty," he began, "I understand that you would like to keep Kairi safe from Maleficent as she is one of the seven princesses, but I'm not leaving her. There is no way I could live if I left her again, even here in Disney Castle." Mickey sighed.

"I know how you feel Sora," he said. "It is the same feeling I get every time I leave the castle. But Kairi must stay here, then we know Maleficent can't attain the power of Kingdom Hearts."

"But Your Majesty!" Kairi pleaded, tears staining her cheeks, "You don't understand! Sora needs me! Roxas needs Naminé! They need both of us! Cossex's power, it renders Sora helpless with pain and despair!" Kairi looked down, rubbing her arm. "I'm the only one who can heal Sora," she said quietly. "If I'm not there, he may die. Or become a heartless again." Kairi sniffled sadly as Sora rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort her while tears shone in his own eyes. King Mickey glanced around at those around him, each of them glaring at him. He threw his arms up in resignation.

"Fine," he squeaked, "but be it on your own heads. Sora, if anything happens to her, I'll hold you directly responsible." Sora nodded, the beginnings of a smile taking hold.

_Kairi's coming with us_, he thought in jubilation. He looked at Kairi, who was beginning to smile too, and kissed her. Mickey looked at the two sternly before his face melted into a small smile.

_I wouldn't be able to keep those two apart even if I tried,_ he realized. "Welp," he began, addressing everyone. "I had hoped that Kairi would be staying here, so my original plan was for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to go out questing again. Some worlds still need their keyholes sealed, and there are more worlds out there to defend as well as the other princesses. I would have stayed here and coordinated it all, but since Kairi is going out to battle too plans need to change. We shall still have a team of three, but since we have enough people, we'll have two teams. I'll go with Donald and Goofy in our new Gummi ship the _Avenger_ and Sora, you and Kairi will go in the _Highwind_ with Max, if Goofy will allow it." Mickey looked expectantly at Goofy, awaiting an answer. Goofy began puzzling it over.

"I don't know," he said, looking his son over. "I don't think you're ready yet Maxie." Max got down on his knees.

"Please," he begged, "can I go? Sora is one of my three heroes. After all the stories you told me, you wouldn't let me go adventuring with him?" Goofy looked at Max's eyes. Being a dog-person, it was very easy for Max to utilize a puppy dog pout. However, that doesn't mean Goofy was any less susceptible to it as anyone else.

"Aw shucks," he said rubbing Max's head. "I can't resist you when you do that. Just don't kill yourself okay." Max gave a hurrah, and ran out of the audience chamber. Off to tell his friends and equip himself at the Royal Armory. Queen Minnie looked at Kairi's outfit. She was still wearing the white halter-top and jean shorts. Kairi looked at the Queen before looking at herself.

_Not the best outfit to be fighting in_, she thought with a giggle. Queen Mickey took her hand and led her away, Sora following in their wake.

"Come on dear," she said. "Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are here, they'll fix you up." Minnie led them away towards a high tower overlooking the courtyard, where several figures were bustling in and out of the Gummi hangar. Queen Minnie opened the door to the tower and Kairi stepped in. Inside were the three good fairies. Flora in pink, Fauna in green, and Merryweather in blue, they each looked up at their entrance.

"Why look who it is dears," Flora said, "it's Minnie, and Sora."

"And he brought a friend too," Merryweather said knowingly. "Oh, it's just like the Prince and our Aurora." Sora chuckled and Kairi shuffled her feet. Queen Minnie cleared her throat.

"We're here for clothes for Kairi ladies," she said. "Much like how Sora was a year ago." The three fairies suddenly became very excited and before Kairi knew it, her arms were laden with several beautiful gowns and dresses of varying hues of pink, green, and blue. Kairi strained a little under the weight. She quickly dumped them on Sora before she could be overburdened.

"I thank you for the dresses," she said breathlessly, "and I'm sure they're very pretty, but we actually came here for an outfit I could wear to fight in." The fairies were taken aback.

"Your going to fight her too?" asked Fauna sadly. Kairi nodded.

"Yes," she stated.

"Well, I'm glad at least one girl has got the guts to go up against Maleficent!" Merryweather blurted out. "Too long has it only been men fighting. Nothing against you Sora or your husband Minnie, of course." Kairi and the Queen giggled. Merryweather motioned to her fellow fairies. "Come on girls." As one, they waved their wands and streams of red, green, and blue light shot towards Kairi. She closed her eyes as the warm magic washed over her.

"Oh my," Flora said, "she looks lovely." Kairi opened her eyes.

"I knew she would," Merryweather added smugly. Kairi looked herself over. Her halter-top had become a white, leather breastplate that ended just an inch or two above her bellybutton. There was a slit on the right side with three short leather straps and brass snaps for ease of removal and donning of the jerkin. Emblazoned on the front was the outline of a pink heart with a golden three-pointed crown in the center, the top point where the domes at the top met. Kairi looked down. Her jean shorts had changed into a very light rose skirt that ended just above her kneecap. She finished looking herself over before turning to Sora, apprehension claiming her. _Does he like it?_

Sora had just opened the door and shoved the gowns outside, so when he looked back and saw Kairi standing there as she was, his jaw went slack for a moment. Kairi giggled as he regained his cool and strode up to her.

"You look gorgeous," he said softly, before kissing her passionately. Merryweather placed her hands on her hips.

"I knew it," she said as they broke apart. Kairi turned to the fairies.

"I have another favor to ask," she said. "Since we're traveling on Sora's old Gummi ship, and I have Donald's old room, do you think you could help me…" Fauna gasped in excitement before Kairi could finish.

"You want us to help redecorate?" she asked. Kairi nodded.

"Say no more Kairi," Flora said. "We're on the way." Kairi led the way for the three fairies, making sure Sora grabbed the dresses, and began bouncing her ideas off them.

* * *

Sora staggered into Kairi's room in the _Highwind_, his arms laden with the many gowns the fairies had made for her. He peered his head around the mass of cloth in front of him, to see the walls changing from blue to a soft pink. The portrait of Daisy was gone, probably already taken to the Vingilot, the sheets were also turning pink, and a large dresser, mirror, and chair popped out of nowhere. Sora rolled his eyes. _Girls_, he thought.

_Better get used to it_, Roxas said. _You're going to be with her for a while._

_What about you and Naminé?_ Sora asked. He could tell Roxas started laughing.

_She isn't coming in here; your mind is my own personal bachelor pad_. Sora rolled his eyes again.

_Glad you enjoy it._

_There's actually quite a lot of room in here._ Sora growled angrily.

_Now your just being mean_, he thought savagely. Kairi stopped helping the fairies and looked over at Sora.

"Something wrong?" she asked seeing his face. He sighed sadly.

"Yeah Roxas," he said jerking his head upwards. Kairi giggled a little and nodded. Sora once again noticed that he was carrying somewhere around ten different dresses. "Do you know where I can put these?" he asked. Flora looked around.

"Oh yes Sora," she said flicking her wand. "You can place them in there." A walk-in closet appeared in what used to be a wall. Sora mumbled his thanks and entered. Dropping the dresses in a pile, he grabbed a hanger and began to hang each one up, never glancing for more than a moment or two, until he reached a particular fuchsia one. It was a long, slender gown that widened after the waist to give it body around the legs. Matching it were a pair of rose heeled shoes and a small silver circlet encrusted with tiny, glittering pink diamonds. Sora stared at the gown in wonder.

_Kairi would look beautiful in this_, he thought. As he gawked at the dress' beauty and daydreamed of Kairi dancing in it, she herself peeped her head in to see if Sora was done. She was about to say something when she saw him staring at the gown. Kairi smiled warmly.

_So,_ she thought, _he likes that one?_ She poked her head back out and returned to redecorating.

* * *

Mickey was in his Royal Chambers, preparing for the journey ahead. He sighed suddenly as he shut his suitcase.

_I hate leaving her here again_, he thought. He heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called, turning around. Minnie entered, positively radiant in her pink gown. Mickey smiled sadly at her, until he noticed a tight frown on her lips. Before he could even ask what was wrong, she spoke.

"Why didn't you tell them?" she asked, crossing her arms. Mickey sighed as he turned around, not wanting to face his wife.

"I didn't want to worry them," he said at last. "They finally hooked up and they seemed so happy together. I didn't want to ruin their happiness." Minnie approached quickly.

"Even more reason to tell them," she said. "Kairi will do anything to protect Sora, and if you told them what Maleficent's really planning you'll put Sora on his guard." Mickey spun around.

"Yeah, and make them forget to be happy together," he said almost angrily. Minnie placed her hand on his shoulder.

"No," she said softly. "If you tell them, they'll enjoy the time they spend together even more. I know that every time you leave this castle your life is on the line. But because of that fact I love our alone time even more." She pecked him on the cheek. "Don't you?"

Mickey sighed and smiled at his Queen. "I do, but I still don't want to worry them." Minnie huffed a little.

"Although I don't agree with your decision," she said. "They will find out eventually. And they'll blame you for not telling them."

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Max were standing next to King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in front of the Gummi ships that would take them around the worlds. In front of them were Queen Minnie, Daisy, and a pretty dog-girl in a turquoise shirt and navy shorts. King Mickey turned to those standing beside him.

"Now remember guys," he began, "we visit the worlds and seal their keyholes. We don't want another heartless fiasco like a year ago." Each of them nodded their heads in determination, before turning back and waving.

"Good luck!" Queen Minnie called.

"Don't forget about our date Donald!" Daisy yelled. The other girl just smiled and waved. Sora, Kairi, and Max turned towards the _Highwind_ as they would be departing first.

"Wait a second Max," the King said. Sora looked at Max, who just shrugged his shoulders and sauntered back. The King whispered something to him, and Max grimly nodded his head before returning to Sora's side. He took one look at Sora's face and answered the unspoken question.

"He told me to be careful," he said. Sora nodded and looked up to the top of the ramp where Kairi was waiting.

"Come on you two," she called. Sora nodded and rushed to her side, Max on his heels. Reaching her, they all nodded and filed inside to the bridge. Sora sat in the captain's seat and began flipping switches and pressing buttons. The engines came online with a roar and Sora grabbed the wheel, ready to send them streaming out into space. Only, that isn't how it turned out.

Without warning, the repulsorlifts failed as the ground opened up under them, sending them tumbling straight down. Luckily, Sora and Kairi were wearing their seatbelts, so they were kept in their seats. Max, however, didn't buckle up and quickly face planted into the ceiling of the glass bubble that topped the bridge. Sora looked straight and saw that they were actually careening down a tunnel. Before he could take more in, they were suddenly in space. Sora grabbed the wheel again and accelerated them forward, in order for them to be out of the way for the _Avenger_. Due to the acceleration, when Max fell he missed his chair by a few feet. Cussing and feeling his jaw, Max stood and plopped himself back down, Sora and Kairi howling with laughter.

"Ha ha," Max said, "very funny guys." Sora slowly stopped laughing as Kairi continued to snigger at him. Minutes later, the _Avenger_ came plummeting down. A light on Kairi's terminal began to flash and a quiet siren began to blare. She looked hesitantly at her console.

"Sora," she asked, concerned, "what does this mean?"

"It means that we're receiving a transmission Kairi," Sora answered, a slight chuckle evident in his reply. "Press the small blue button under the light for audio, and the small green one for video." Kairi pressed the green button, and a screen slid out from each console. After a moment of gray screen, the screens flashed to life and an image of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy appeared.

"We're going to start exploring new worlds," King Mickey said. "Where are you guys planning on heading first?" Sora looked around at his companions.

"Actually," he began, "I was thinking of heading to the Radiant Garden and then Twilight Town first. Then I thought we could go around to the worlds I've already visited to make sure they're fine before exploring." Sora glanced around and saw Kairi and Max were both nodding in understanding. Sora would want to make sure his friends are okay first before making new friends. He glanced back at the screen. Goofy and the others were nodding too.

"Okay Sora," Goofy said. "You go make sure our friends are alright and put them on their guard. Tell them Donald and I said hi!"

"Good luck!" Donald called before the King cut the transmission. The screens slid back into the consoles and Sora looked out of the viewport. The _Avenger_, a massive white triangular vessel with a raised rectangular bridge that had two spherical shield generators placed upon either end on stilts, and its four circling miniships, black ships with rectangular fins on each side of a sphere in the middle, pulled alongside them before streaking off, its three engines glowing blue. Kairi looked up at Sora.

"So," she said. "The Radiant Garden?" Max punched the coordinates of the world in and looked up at his captain. Sora nodded before rising from his chair. Max and Kairi followed suit.

"It's going to take roughly six hours to get there," Max said with a yawn as they filed into the cabin. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Sora smiled.

"Talk, read books, watch movies, play video games, practice in the simulator, whatever we want really," he said plopping down on the couch. Max sat down next to him and eyed his gaming console. Sora raised his eyebrows at the teen next to him. "You want to go?" he asked, picking up a copy of Star Wars Battlefront II. Max grinned.

"I'm a veteran at that," he said pumping his chest. "There is no way your going to win in a space battle." Sora took his challenge with gusto.

"You sure about that," he challenged as the screen loaded. "I've flown this ship in combat against hundreds of heartless ships and haven't received a scratch. You want to reconsider your fate?"

"Bring it on!" Max said. Kairi meanwhile was watching from a chair as she settled into a book. _Boys_, she thought as she watched Sora constantly destroy Max's Tie Interceptor from an Incom T-65 X-Wing Space Superiority Star Fighter. _Sora's really good_, she thought a few minutes later, unable to concentrate on her reading due to the shouts, explosions, and taunts. _Although_, she continued, _he would have died a few times if Roxas weren't standing behind him shouting out Max's position_. As Sora was about to win the game for the Rebel Alliance faction by reaching the score limit, he suddenly posed a question aloud.

"Did you guys notice that the King's ship and miniships looked a whole lot like an Imperial Star Destroyer and Tie Fighters?" Kairi looked up.

"Yeah, it did," she said before chuckling. "You don't think Chip and Dale have become Star Wars freaks, designing ships based on their favorite Star Wars ones?" Max laughed as Sora destroyed the Imperial Lander he was piloting, thereby winning the match.

"If they build a Type B Mon Calamari Cruiser and name it the _Liberty_, then we'll know for sure." He turned to Sora who had a smug look on his face. "You're really good Sora, normally X-Wings would be bantha fodder for a Tie Interceptor because of my increased maneuverability." Sora grinned and rubbed his nose.

"That's why I'm the best," he laughed before looking at Max. "So who was that cute girl that was watching us leaving Max?" Max blushed and turned away. Kairi marked her page, which wasn't that far and leaned in.

"Don't get any ideas Sora," she growled playfully. Sora waved his hands in front him in his defense. As he was about to protest his resentment at such a comment, Max spoke.

"That was my friend Roxane," he said, not meeting their eyes. "I really like her, but I don't know if she likes me that way." He suddenly put his head in his hands. "What do I do guys? You should know." Sora and Kairi looked taken aback, and glanced at each other. Neither expected their new friend to come to them for dating advice. Sora sighed sympathetically.

"Well," he started, not knowing the best way to put it. "Did you ask her not to come?" Max nodded slowly. Kairi's eyebrows rose.

"Then she likes you," she explained. "If you told her not to come, and she came anyway, then she still wants to know you, and basically said that she would wait for you to come back. At which point she would make her feelings known for you." Kairi laughed a little. "Basically the same thing happened with us Sora." He laughed sadly as Max slowly raised his head.

"Yeah," Sora joked, "except that it was more of a promise to come back, and we found each other away from home, and it still took a while for everything to come out." Sora noticed that Max's head was raised, his face fixed in a look of disbelief. Sora placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It'll be fine as long as you get home," he said.

"Yeah," Max said slowly. "Thanks guys."

* * *

Tidus and Wakka were on patrol around the school's immediate area. Tidus had a long, blue, crystal broadsword with a notch at the end, called the Brotherhood and Wakka was carrying a black, spiked Blitzball called the Catcher. Their nerves were frazzled as they contemplated the events of the previous night and today.

"So," Wakka began to himself, "tell me again what in Yevon's name is going on?" Tidus sighed and shook his head.

"Even I can barely remember Wakka," he said. "Let's see. Last night at the party beings called _Heartless_ attacked us, with only Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Miss Yuffie fighting them at first while Mr. Axel went to get weapons for the rest of us. Then, some chick called _Cossex_ showed up and began taunting Sora, Kairi, and that invisible Roxas person. Mr. Axel then arrived and told Sora and Kairi to seal a _keyhole_ leave to some place called _Disney Castle_ on something called a _Gummi_ ship. Then Cossex did something to Sora, causing him to writhe in agony. Kairi healed him with some kind of light, and then they took off into the sky. Mr. Axel and I were busy fighting the creatures in front of them and Riku and Miss Yuffie were holding back Cossex with a keyblade and an oversized shuiken. And Mr. Axel fired a column of flame to prevent her escaping." Tidus put his hand to his chin, trying to remember the rest of the events. "Then at some point Cossex vanished in a swirling black thing, and we fought the black devils until daybreak, and now we're on patrol to make sure that any that appear don't harm those who can't fight." Wakka nodded and looked at his watch.

"Our time's up," he said. "Let's go report at the Mayor's office." Tidus nodded and they began walking. He looked around sadly. A few buildings had been destroyed by the heartless, including the ice-cream parlor, and two people had gone missing, one of them Bob. _Not that anyone really gave a damn about Bob_, Tidus thought, _after what he tried to do to Kairi. But its just sad that no one can find Mandy. She wasn't at school today, and her parents don't know where she is_. They continued walking, finally reaching City Hall a gray multi-tiered building with flower gardens in front. Tidus opened the door and strode towards the Mayor's office, Wakka by his side.

Inside the office were Sora's mother Anne, Kairi's parents Seymour and Janet, Riku, Yuffie, Axel, the rest of Tidus' block four class, minus Sora and Kairi of course, and the Blitz team. Seymour had his head in his hands, but looked up at their entry.

"Status report," he ordered.

"Twelve heartless appeared in our two hour shift," Tidus began wearily, "ten destroyed, two escaped."

"Those things give me the creeps yah?" Wakka said. "I mean, they're black all over, and those sphere heads that look like Blitzballs except for the antennae and beady yellow eyes. And those claws are sharp," he said, pointing to a cut he had received on his arm. Riku sighed and pulled out a potion, healing Tidus and Wakka of their wounds. Selphie looked concerned at her teachers.

"What are those things, really?" she asked aloud. Most others in the room nodded their heads. Axel, Riku, Yuffie, and the parents heaved a collective sigh.

"Denizens of darkness," Riku started, once again explaining everything about their adventures. "There is darkness in nearly every heart, except for the seven princesses of heart, we'll talk about those later. When a man named Xehanort opened a special door to darkness, he unwittingly allowed the darkness in people's hearts to take form. When the darkness overwhelmed the heart, a being called a heartless was created. Xehanort first hypothesized that the creatures did not have hearts and after several tests he was able to conclude that heartless are really hearts surrounded by darkness."

"You cannot truly slay them," Yuffie continued, "without a special weapon called a keyblade. The keyblade unlocks the captive heart and dispels the darkness surrounding it." John scratched his head.

"So, no matter what we do, we can't kill those things?" he asked glumly. Riku looked at him.

"Not entirely," he explained, "but you can scatter the darkness around the heart. It will then take a long time for the darkness to gather around it again and form a new heartless. However it isn't all in vain for you see," Riku then summoned Way to the Dawn into his right hand, "I have a keyblade, as do Sora, Kairi, Roxas (although I don't know how much good he will do), and King Mickey." The whole class and Blitz team suddenly grew very excited.

"Great!" George exclaimed. "So where are Sora and Kairi?"

"They're gone," Axel said.

"Gone!" Brittany cried, "Wha- what do you mean they're gone?" Axel smirked as Sora and Kairi's parents looked down sadly.

"I mean they aren't on the islands anymore," he stated.

"Well then where are they?" Michael growled. Axel laughed.

"They should be at Disney Castle right about now," he said. Yuffie and Riku breathed sighs of relief.

"That's good," she said. "They'll have met up with King Mickey and will probably start ridding the worlds of heartless while stopping Maleficent." Blank stares greeted Yuffie's words. Yuffie threw her arms in the air exasperatedly. "You seriously didn't think yours was the only world did you?" People began shaking their heads. Riku let out a chuckle.

"Guess they couldn't tell that you're from another world, eh Yuffie?" he said. Everyone excluding those who already knew looked in shock at Yuffie.

"You're from another world miss Yuffie?" Fred asked. "What's it like?" Yuffie smiled at them.

"My home world is called the Radiant Garden," she said before bouncing on her heels. "I wonder how Sora and Kairi are going to react when they arrive and find out I sent Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Merlin the picture of their first kiss?"

* * *

_Well I hope you all liked this chapter, and here is the current list of worlds they will be visiting (note: I'm only listing those that Sora has already been to, the new worlds will be surprises) Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, Port Royal, Atlantica, Space Paranoids, Beast's Castle, Land of Dragons, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, Halloween Town, Pride Lands, World That Never Was, and Neverland. Not exactly in that order however. So basically, Sora will be checking up on all the worlds in his last adventure minus Timeless River, plus Neverland._

_Read and Review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	10. The Garden

_Hey guys, I'm sorry it took so long for the update, but I had a whole lot of Physics to do including the design and construction of the infamous pasta bridge._

_I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, the reviewers for getting my story to the 100 mark. I'm at one hundred and eighteen folks! Let me give a shout out to each one of you! __**Manco,**__**xsilentshadowsx, leadfoot352, Tori the Twilight Keybearer, lil' Gingergirl, Brightshadow 5, Broken Angel01, Roland Desagare, tonksquill1803, Anias05, A Forgotten Fairy, ZipxPip4ever, WhizKid94, GTA guy, SuicuneGirl, dragonflysky, maxslayer10, SayuriShizuka, Yumi Sakura, moonlite-dUSk, Mrfipp, SamuraiSirius, aris-5221, bk0204, Russ Dog, chm01, Naomine, AKA Usagi-Zakura, angelofthedead11, LV-chan, A Forgotten Fairy, sorasheart281, darkangelwings90, Chaotic Heroism, rikufanattic, kingdomfantasyanime453, AnimeGirl2588, Angie-914, BloodSkye, Skyheart92, brokenxblackxheart, shirato, Shelby, Damondo, Anom, PRINCESS OF HEART, adrenaline144, review, Ethan, and Nanah-chan! **__That's actually quite a long list isn't it? And I give special thanks to those who have stuck with me from the beginning you know who you are. And I have a very special message to my dear friend Samuel, who submitted the last two. You do know that Mrs. Botterill is reading this story and is thoroughly enjoying it?_

_Without further ado, on with the Disclaimer!_

_Sora: "In honor of reaching over 100 reviews, Shire Folk has drafted me to read the disclaimer, he also said in his memo that he shall draft a member of the cast with every hundred reviews submitted. (Ahem) Shire Folk wishes to express that he owns nothing in his work of fanfiction apart from the plot and his own characters." (Sora turns his head to Kairi who is standing beside him.) "How did I do?"_

_Kairi: (Takes a small step towards him and kisses him on the lips for a few seconds before breaking it.) "Perfectly." _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter X: The Garden

Sora, Kairi, and Max were upon the bridge in their seats as Sora piloted the _Highwind_ onto the Radiant Garden, landing it vertically in an alley just outside of the Marketplace. With a small thud the landing gear made contact with the pavement. Sora unbuckled his seatbelt as he brought the ship's power systems down to a minimum. Rising from his seat he motioned for Max and Kairi to follow. _I wonder how much the Radiant Garden has changed since the last time I was here?_ He thought, descending the landing ramp. Sora looked around at the familiar stone buildings surrounding the ship as he breathed in the familiar scent of the Radiant Garden. He turned his head to the red-haired girl standing beside him.

"Welcome home," he said, slowly reaching for her hand. Kairi eyed his hand, her own slowly inching its way towards his.

"No," she replied slowly, their fingers touching. "I was only born here. Home is where my heart is," Kairi slid her outstretched hand into his as her eyes rose from their now entwined hands to Sora's blue eyes, "and that's with you Sora." Sora nodded and took a pace forward, leading her onward. They rounded the corner with Max in the rear, and were awed at the sight they beheld. The Marketplace had changed dramatically. Instead of just being a square with a few shops surrounding it there was a larger meeting square with alleys and branches stretching off in all directions, all of them bristling with shops, open market stalls, outdoor cafés, and even two vendors advertising Scrooge McDuck's Sea-Salt Ice Cream. Townspeople were bustling about everywhere. Men, women, children, and seniors were going around shopping, the children mostly hanging around their parents and the ice cream. But the thing that most astounded the trio was the number of teenagers there were in the crowd. Teens were strolling about just about everywhere; chatting in the square, eating ice cream, and shopping. Sora even noticed one gaggling group of girls that each held four to five shopping bags.

"Wow," Max stuttered. "There sure are a lot of teens here." Sora gulped.

"I know," he said, awestruck. "I never knew that we were protecting this many kids our age from the Heartless." Sora turned his head to look at Kairi, who simply stood with a stunned look on her face. Sora shook her arm slightly. "Kairi," he asked, "you okay?"

"I'm their princess," she said as she slowly brought her face towards Sora. "What if they want me to rule over them?" Max chuckled behind them. Kairi turned to look at him. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well," Max said, "last we heard from Leon, the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee set up a system of government, and the people elected Leon Prime Minister." Max gave them a few seconds for it to sink in before continuing. "So, that means Leon's in charge, and you don't have to do anything Kairi." She smiled warmly at Max.

"Thanks for telling us Max," she said kindly. "Now we can just be normal teens fighting the forces of evil." Sora laughed heartily at Kairi's comment. A passing teenage girl looked in their direction upon hearing Sora's laughter. A look of utter surprise claimed her visage as she screamed loudly. Instinctively, Sora and Kairi released each other's hands as they drew the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper out of thin air, suddenly alert and wary. Max simply raised his eyebrows as he slowly slinked away, he knew what was happening.

"By Jenova!" the girl screeched loud enough for the whole Marketplace to hear. "It's SORA!" What appeared to be a whole hundred heads turned in their direction as Max continued to retreat into the shadows.

"Did I forget to mention," he said slowly, "that you're famous Sora?" Sora and Kairi turned whipped their heads around and stared at Max, their keyblades vanishing. Suddenly a great roar erupted behind them as a horde of teenagers, mostly girls, began to dash towards them, screaming wildly.

"I can't believe it's Sora!" one yelled.

"I know," another one shouted. "Did you see his keyblade?" Sora and Kairi began quickly backing away in the wake of the crowd.

"Hey who is that girl he's with?" a random girl in the crowd asked rather loudly. Sora's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Kairi," he squeaked. She turned to look at him while they continued backing away. Sora half turned his head in her direction. "Run." In one fluid motion they both turned their backs on the crowd and bolted down an alley, grabbing hands as they fled.

_Why are you running Sora?_ Roxas asked with a chuckle. _They're just fan girls._ Sora huffed as he continued to flee.

_Would you like to be out here running?_ Sora yelled in his mind. That shut Roxas up.

"Hey!" a boy yelled. "I think that's that Kairi girl!"

"Isn't she a princess or something?" Another guy who was at the head of the pack asked. Kairi threw her head over her shoulder, but Sora tugged on her arm to keep her concentrated on running.

"Actually I think she's _our_ princess," another guy said in a slightly confused voice before picking up in excitement. "Hey did you see _her _keyblade? How cool is that!? We have a princess who's also a wielder of the keyblade!"

"Princess and wielder or not," a girl yelled savagely as she fought her way to the head, "no one is good enough for Sora except me!" Kairi's eyes steeled as a fire erupted in them, and she began resisting Sora's pull. Sora threw a glance back at Kairi, not entirely shocked at what he saw.

"You want to?" he asked her. Kairi nodded.

"Gladly," she said. Sora and Kairi quickly came to a halt and turned to face the mob of screaming fans. The horde surrounded them, leaving no avenue for escape. Girls started inching towards Sora, giving Kairi looks of pure loathing, while the few guys just stared at Kairi, jaws slack. She blushed a little at the boys and smiled sweetly, causing them to pass out in bliss. Kairi looked smugly at Sora. "Now that they're taken care of," she said. Suddenly two girls standing behind her grabbed her free arm and ripped her away from Sora. She landed hard on the pavement and since their only barrier to getting close to Sora was removed, the fan girls flung themselves en mass at him, rolling and kicking Kairi further away. The high-heeled shoes a few of them wore dug into her skin, adding to the fresh cuts and scrapes her arms and legs had already received from the pavement.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled as he lost sight of her in the sea of girls. His eyes glazed over in fear that the crowd would trample her.

"Forget her," a pretty girl with long blonde hair who had grabbed his right arm said seductively. "Forget her and kiss me." Her words cut into Kairi worse than her physical injuries as she lay on the ground. Whether Sora refused to or not, Kairi knew that the girl would kiss him anyway, and she was determined that she would not see it. The crowd suddenly 'oohhed', and Kairi knew that her worst fears were confirmed. A pearly tear fell from her eye and she sniffed. _Why Naminé?_ Kairi asked. _Why?_ Before Naminé could respond, Kairi could hear a rustling sound as if there were a struggle, and she could barely hear the muttered curses of the girl who had just kissed Sora.

"Get out of my sight you Vixen!" Sora snarled as he tried to break free and find Kairi, a few boys who had regained consciousness helping him out. "You may think that you're beautiful, but your heart betrays you. You think I fell in love for beauty?" The mob stilled and Sora brutally shoved his way through. A few girls who were standing in front of Kairi, concealing her, bowed their heads in shame and parted for Sora. Sora looked and saw Kairi lying down with her back to him. Her red hair had become dusty with dirt, and lacerations, dirt, and gravel were scattered all over her arms and legs. Surprisingly her pure white leather breastplate wasn't dirty at all, and neither was her rose skirt. "Kairi!" Sora called in haste as he dashed up to her, gren light already curling around his fingers. He knelt by her side and placed his hand over her. "Cura," Sora said softly. The green healing magic wrapped around Kairi, healing her cuts and scrapes though still leaving her hair disheveled. Kairi turned herself over, Sora's arm resting under her shoulder as he propped her up. It pained him to see the pearly tear staining her cheek. Sora smiled warmly at Kairi as he gently wiped it away with his thumb.

"I fell in love for the strength and beauty of the heart," he said quietly, more to Kairi then the crowd. Kairi smiled and she cupped her arm around his shoulders, allowing him to help her up. As soon as she stood, Kairi threw her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders and happily lost herself in his eyes. Sora responded by wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her close, gazing into her own sapphire eyes. They bent their foreheads together, still madly gazing at each other. Kairi grinned.

"I love you," she said softly. Sora grinned in return.

"And I love you," he replied, before their lips quickly covered the distance between them and met. Sora and Kairi both felt the resurgence of the flame of passion within them as they kissed. Sora's fingers danced across the revealed skin of her lower back as Kairi's hands rubbed and massaged his shoulder blades and back. They slowly broke to rabid cheers and applause from those surrounding them. They looked at the teenagers surrounding them. All of the guys had now regained consciousness, and one was sniffling, but most held looks of admiration at Sora and one was even giving him a thumbs up. The girls on the other hand, were a different story. Many of them were crying, reasons numerous, and several including the girl who had kissed Sora were fuming and stalking away, knowing that they no longer had a chance. Sora and Kairi blushed slightly, not really from embarrassment at the situation.

"Could anyone tell me," Sora asked uncertainly, "how to get to the Borough? This placed has changed a lot since the last time I was here." Before anyone in the crowd could answer, a feminine voice spoke up from behind the crowd.

"You need to get to Merlin's Sora?" Sora and Kairi looked up as the crowd parted to see a woman with long brown hair wearing a pink and white dress. She stepped forwards towards the two. "Max is already over there, even Leon left his new office to greet you there." Sora smiled warmly.

"Yeah," he said, "if you could just show us the way Aerith." Aerith smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Okay, to Merlin's then." She then looked around at all the people before her face became stern. "What are you all doing here?" She growled, giving the crowd a harsh glare. "Go back about your business." In the space of five seconds the crowd had broken up and headed off in all directions, whispering to each other about what they had just seen.

"Why can't we ever kiss like that?" one girl whispered quietly to her boyfriend, loud enough for Sora and Kairi to hear but not Aerith, as they past by. The girl winked an emerald eye at Kairi when her boyfriend threw his arms up in the air. Kairi giggled quietly as Aerith led them away.

_I like that girl,_ Naminé said in Kairi's head.

_I do too_, Kairi replied. _I probably would have liked all of them if they didn't trample me and try to take Sora away from me._

_At least I know nobody can take Roxas from me,_ Naminé said slyly. Kairi smirked.

_If you paid attention you would know like I do that Sora's going to stay with me to the end. And there is no way I'm leaving him after what he just did._

* * *

Aerith led Sora and Kairi to the back of the alley before making a quick left turn, taking Sora into familiar territory. Directly in front of him there was a cement staircase that led up to the outer wall of the Bailey. Another quick left turn, and they were standing directly in front of the wooden door of Merlin the Wizard's house. Sora heaved a sigh as his fingers stretched towards the doorknob. Kairi looked quizzically at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Her question startled Sora as he turned his head.

"What? Oh, nothing. Just thinking." Sora grasped the knob and opened the door. The inside looked just as he remembered. On the wall directly to his right several blueprints were tacked up. Directly opposite the door was Cid's giant computer system, with a portable blackboard on wheels separating it from the rest of the room. On the other side of the board were numerous stacks of books and scrolls Merlin studied, while in the center there was a circular brick platform that held a small round table with two chairs (including a large red armchair) surrounding it. On the table was a tea set, and on the far wall there was a bookcase, a stove, and a wardrobe. A bed and a pedestal with the Book of Pooh upon it were on the wall opposite the door on the other side of the blackboard. More books were scattered throughout.

Standing inside the room were four figures. Max was standing next to a man with spiked blond hair who had a toothpick in his teeth. The man wore a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Opposite him was a tall man with long brown hair. This man was marked with a scar on his left cheek, and wore a black vest overtop a white shirt with matching black pants. The fourth standing figure was an old man wearing white and blue robes. He had a very long white beard and wore a pointed blue cap and round glasses. There were three others in the room however, they were all girls, they were only about six inches tall, and they were floating. One had short mocha hair and very strange eyes. One was green, and the other blue. She wore a white shirt on over a pair of incredibly short black jean shorts. Overtop of the jean shorts on one side was a feathered skirt alternating between blue and white. Her shirt was parted in the middle and a strange black symbol was on her chest. The second had long braided blonde hair all twisted around the back of her head and wore only a yellow bikini top and a tiny pair of green denim shorts. Her eyes were very strange, they were both green, but her pupils were spirals. The third had spiked silver hair, normal red eyes and wore a black shawl wrapped around her upper chest, and long black pants and boots. They were all congregated around the table and discussing current events, but they stopped and turned to greet the new arrivals.

"Sora," the man with the scar on his cheek said. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah," the blonde man added. "If you ain't in top shape?" Sora nodded to each of them and Kairi stepped forward to shake hands with them.

"Kairi," the scarred man continued. "Nice to see you again too." Kairi placed a finger to her chin.

"Um, Leon right?" she asked. He nodded his head and Kairi smiled. "Good, it's nice to know I haven't forgotten you all since Traverse Town." The man with the toothpick nudged her chin.

"Who am I then?" he asked. Kairi began to concentrate. _What was his name again?_ The man held up three fingers and said, "I'll give you a clue, three letters." Kairi's face lightened up as she remembered.

"Cid," she answered. Cid's face beamed and he gave her a noogie. Kairi fought him off and turned to the man wearing blue. "And you're Merlin," she said pointing. Merlin bowed and removed his cap.

"Correct, princess," he said. Kairi simply sighed and shook her head before turning to the three floating girls.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I don't know you're names." The three girls didn't look disappointed at all, but took it all in stride.

"I'm Yuna," the one with mocha hair wearing white said, introducing herself and placing a hand over her heart.

"I'm Rikku!" energetically exclaimed the blonde one, pumping the air. The girl wearing black crossed her arms and looked Kairi over.

"Paine," she announced. Yuna took it up from there.

"Together we're the Gullwings!" Paine was still looking Kairi over when a smile grew on her face and she looked at Sora. "She's a good match, Sora. I approve." Rikku looked at Yuna in surprise.

"Oh Yunie! _Tu drao ghuf ypuid dra beldina_?" Rikku asked. Yuna turned to her.

"_E tuh'd drehg cu Rikku_." Sora and Kairi stared strangely at the two hovering girls.

"What did you just say?" Sora asked, half pointing at them. Yuna looked up at him.

"Oh, nothing!" she said coyly, her arms behind her back. Leon cleared his throat.

"So Sora," he said, bringing attention to himself. "You're off fighting the heartless again?" Sora nodded.

"Yeah, and Kairi's fighting too." Sora motioned his arm towards her and she beamed, summoning the Oathkeeper. Merlin stepped towards Kairi and began examining her.

"If you're going to fight with the keyblade," he said, "you're going to have to learn magic." Kairi nodded her head.

"I know," she said. "Sora's already taught me the fire element." Merlin looked up in surprise.

"Very good!" he exclaimed. "And it seems that your armor and skirt are akin to Sora's garments. They'll gather magical energy from the world around you. Which means," he explained, "that it will take less energy to cast spells, and you will regain your mana faster. But that is not enough." Merlin shifted his attention towards Sora as Kairi dismissed the Oathkeeper. "Sora, I entrust you with the task of teaching Kairi, as it seems you've already done some training with her." The Radiant Garden gang all looked knowingly at the two. Sora and Kairi looked around, puzzled at their friend's faces.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Kairi asked. Cid just chuckled and drew from a pocket what appeared to be a picture, but Sora couldn't see what it was of.

"We received this in a transmission from your world a few days ago," he explained striding towards them. Cid handed the picture over to Sora upside down in order to forestall him seeing it. Kairi took two steps forward and peered over Sora's shoulder to see what it was. He looked up at her and Kairi gave a curt nod. Looking back down, Sora flipped over the picture.

It was of his and Kairi's first kiss!

Each of them looked at each other and blushed. _So that's how everyone knew._ Rikku turned to look at Yuna again.

"_Kiacc drao ghuf huf_."

_But if everyone knew because they had this picture,_ Roxas said in Sora's mind, _who took the picture?_ Sora's face hardened at the same time Kairi's did. Evidentially Naminé had said the exact same thing. Sora pocketed the picture and stared at Leon.

"Yuffie." Leon said, answering the unspoken question. Sora turned back to Kairi.

"When we get back," he said, "let's kill her." Kairi complexion changed as she smiled and giggled. Sora's face shifted from one of anger to confusion.

"We'd probably have to fight Riku first," she said. "Yuffie said she was beginning to like him." Sora gasped and turned to Cid.

"Make sure she knows that you know," he ordered. Cid saluted.

"Will do, Sora!" Aerith then cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"So, apart from you two getting together, what else has happened?" she asked.

"Not much," Sora replied. "What about here?" Everyone looked at Leon, who sighed.

"Well, I'm now representing the people of Radiant Garden," he explained. "As you probably noticed, the city has changed somewhat. Ever since Cid and Tron were able to enhance the claymores to such an extent that the heartless were evicted from the town, people have been coming out of hiding and contributing their skills, resources, and labor into making this the best place to live. No one used to come out of their houses before, now many people are out in the open, including our young." Kairi raised her eyebrows.

"We noticed," she said, jerking her head at Sora. Max and the Gullwings laughed.

"Fans got you down Sora?" Paine asked. Sora slowly nodded and smiled at Kairi.

"But not for long," he answered, giving Kairi a chaste kiss on the cheek. Leon sighed.

"Anyway," he started, but before he could continue a loud explosion shook the house. In haste the whole party ran from the house towards the outer wall of the Bailey that protected the Borough. Sora looked over the ramparts to see a sea of heartless below them.

_Oh no_, he thought in fear, _not again!_ He looked left to see Kairi and Max in a cold sweat. _They've probably never seen so many heartless, well, Kairi has, but she's never had to fight this many._ Sora turned his head to his right to see each member of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee staring resolutely at the heartless. Leon caught his eye and nodded.

"I'm not going to let them destroy everything we've built again." Squall Leonheart growled before drawing his gunblade, a long sword where a section near the hilt was a revolver. "Sora, let's go!" Sora nodded curtly and motioned for Kairi and Max. Kairi turned to him slowly, fear clutching her.

"Sora," she said weakly. He turned and ran to her side, his arm slinging itself around her shoulders.

"Don't worry Kairi," he said in a comforting tone. "You'll be okay, you fight just as well as I do." Sora then turned to Max, whose expression was rippled in terror. "Well Max," he said, "now's your chance to prove yourself to me." Max gulped and nodded slowly. Sora turned back to Kairi, who was shaking her head to rid herself of her fear.

"You're right," she said slowly, before a look of determination claimed her face. "Let's go," she let out courageously. Kairi bolted forward, leaving Sora and Max to start a half a second after her.

"All right!" Rikku exclaimed excitedly before flying off to join the others. "Don't worry Radiant Garden, your friendly neighborhood Gullwings are on the job!" Sora smirked at her remark as he ran into the Bailey. Upon entrance, Sora stopped suddenly as dozens of circular beams of light shot down to the ground from about a meter above it. Little silver-blue spherical balls appeared from them and began rapidly moving on the ground towards their targets. Sora noticed Max and Kairi watching them with apprehension.

"Don't worry," Sora said with a laugh, "those are just claymores, the town's defense mechanism." Kairi looked at him.

"So they're on our side?" she asked quickly. Sora nodded and chased after the claymores, summoning the Oblivion as he prepared to charge into the unseen heartless horde. He vaulted the brick railing on the side of the stairs and saw the fiends. There was a massive army of heartless behind the warped remains of what appeared to be an iron gate. In front of the gate, claymores were constantly sliding under the 'feet' of the heartless and exploding, dissipating them. Sora could barely see which kind of heartless they were due to Leon, the others, and the explosions the claymores created, yet the sound of them was enough to convince Sora that he knew what they were. It was a clicking clacking sound, and an image of an armored knight appeared in his mind. A body surrounded by gray armor, with a pointed helm and swords serving as its arms and legs. Sora opened his eyes to see red hair dashing past him, Kairi was on the move. Sora grinned as he prepared himself for the fight ahead of him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Max was standing behind him, holding a long silver sword with a golden hilt in his right hand, a red bandana in his left.

"Sora," he said quickly, holding out his sword. "Could you hold this for me for a second?" Sora grabbed the sword's hilt with his free hand and stared at Max, perplexed as Max tied the bandana on his head. Max looked at Sora. "Roxane gave me this," he explained, "and I'm going to wear it from now on as a reminder to come back to her, so I can tell her how I feel about her." Sora nodded in understanding as he handed back Max's sword.

"Would you like me to watch your back?" he asked. Max shook his head.

"I appreciate the offer Sora," he said, "but I want to prove to myself first that I can fight and won't have to rely on others." Sora chuckled to himself at Max's comment. He raised his eyebrows, "what?" Sora grinned slightly and closed his eyes.

"Two things," Sora began humorously. "One, you're starting to sound like my friend Riku. And two," Sora opened his eyes and looked at Max, "you always need someone watching your back. You won't believe just how many times your father and Donald saved my hide." Max chuckled.

"Fair point," he replied, grinning. "But I still want to go this one alone." Sora nodded slowly. Even though Max idolized him, if Sora couldn't talk him out of it, there was no point trying further.

"Just be careful Max," Sora sighed. "You want to make it back to Roxane in one piece." Max nodded before rushing past Sora towards the remains of the gate. Sora turned to address the current situation. Kairi, Leon, and the Gullwings had already beaten the heartless back out past the gate, and could no longer receive help from the town's claymores. Aerith, Merlin, and Cid were standing behind the remains of the gate. Sora walked up to them as Max rushed out past them. "What are you three going to do?" he asked. Merlin raised a hand.

"I am going to go up onto the outer wall and cast powerful magic spells at these infernal heartless." Cid then jabbed his thumb at himself.

"I'm gunna stay here with my spear and beat back any heartless that make it through you guys in the front lines," he explained. "And if the claymores go on the fritz, I'll hold the heartless until Tron can figure out what's wrong and fix 'em." Sora turned his attention to Aerith. She put a hand over her heart upon seeing his gaze.

"I'm going out with you guys," she said. "I know I can't fight as well as the others, but I can heal you all if you get hurt. And if anything attacks me, I'll strike back with my quarterstaff." Sora nodded and walked out past the gate.

"Stay close to Leon," he muttered as he past Aerith. Aerith blushed but before she could even scold him Sora was dashing off into the fray, the Oblivion poised in front of him. He arrived next to Kairi and his first slash went straight through an armored knight's armor, dispelling the darkness and releasing its heart.

"Perfect timing," Kairi said as she repeatedly slashed at several heartless, creating cracks in their armor. Sora saw one that was spinning on the ground about to scythe its way through Kairi's legs.

"Watch out," Sora yelled as he rose into the air, forcefully lunging down at it, keyblade in front of him. Kairi looked just in time to see Sora dive straight through it. He proceeded to use the maneuver four more times around them, ripping through several heartless at once. When he dropped to the ground, he looked at Kairi. "Don't worry Kai," he said. "I've got your back." Kairi smiled, but quickly pointed the Oathkeeper slightly to Sora's side. A large fireball formed on its tip.

"Fira," Kairi said. The fireball shot out from her keyblade's tip and hurtled past Sora. He turned in time to see it vaporize an armored knight that was about to slice open his back. Sora turned back to Kairi in wonder to see her smirking and resting the Oathkeeper on her shoulder. "Or do I have your back?" she asked smugly. Sora grinned and swiftly turned around and stabbed a heartless in the head.

And so, the battle began.

* * *

The army of heartless was truly massive. After the defenders of the Radiant Garden were able to drive them back past the cliffs and crystal fissure to the Great Maw the Heartless were able to drive a wedge between each defender in only a few short minutes, isolating them in a ring of foes. Each person was an island, constantly assailed by the dark waves. Leon was defending Aerith with his gunblade. Kairi was valiantly fighting on her own. Max was proving himself, or so he thought. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine had each pulled out a miniature pistol, set of long knives with round hilts, and sword, respectively, and were viciously defending themselves. Sora blocked an attack one armored knight threw at him at viciously attacked it, hacking it and those around it to pieces. Unbeknownst to him, an armored knight was creeping up behind him. Sora dodged a laser blast a surveillance robot had fired at him, and continued pressing forward, not knowing about the foe to his rear.

_Sora, behind you!_ Roxas shouted. Sora turned to see it attacking him with a downward slash. He raised the Oblivion to block it, but before the blow could connect the heartless disappeared in a blinding flash that Sora was forced to shield his eyes from. When he opened them, he saw the tips of an Oblivion and an Oathkeeper directly where the heartless had stood. Sora followed the blades down to their hilts, astounded. Holding the two weapons was a blue-eyed boy with spiked blonde hair wearing a black shirt, white vest, gray pants and black shoes. On his chest was a four-pointed pendant. It was Roxas.

An opaque Roxas!

"Roxas!" Sora gasped, amazed at the sight. "How are you real?" Roxas quickly looked himself over and tightened his grip on his keyblades, before swinging the Oblivion at Sora. Sora raised his own and parried the blow, striking back at Roxas, who blocked it with the Oathkeeper. "What do you think you're doing?" Sora growled angrily. Roxas' eyes widened as realization struck him.

"I am real," he said slowly. Sora sighed and decided to repeat his question.

"But, how?" he asked. Roxas shrugged.

"Not sure," he answered. "Magical, mystical powers of the keyblade?" He shook his head. "But now isn't the time for answers, these heartless aren't going to destroy themselves you know." Sora nodded.

"Right," he said, before leaping back into the fray. Roxas jumped in behind him, wielding his two keyblades with top proficiency.

_Naminé_ Roxas thought while eviscerating a large green ball of a heartless known as a Morning Star. _Can you hear me?_ He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

_Yes Roxie?_ She asked.

_I'm real._ Roxas said. There was a long pause from Naminé as the battle raged around everyone.

_What!?_ Naminé screamed. _But how?_

_Don't know,_ Roxas answered as he jumped to avoid the laser Sora, through use of a surveillance robot, was using to destroy a large swath of heartless._But it may have something to do with the keyblades._

_Well,_ Naminé started. Roxas raised his eyebrows.

_Well what Nam?_

_Well, since Kairi can wield a keyblade, maybe I can and become real too._ Roxas slowly shook his head.

_Go ahead and try Naminé, just don't get yourself killed. I doubt neither Kairi nor myself could live if that happened. _

* * *

Several meters away, nearly out of sight due to the hordes of heartless, Kairi was holding her own against the Grand Armée of heartless. She had sustained a few scratches and cuts to her arms, but every slash that had connected against her leather breastplate did not harm her, nor did it cut through the leather. The same was mostly true of her skirt; it would not tear or rip no matter how many swords were brought against it. Although, being a skirt, it offered nowhere near the amount of protection her breastplate offered, so Kairi was sure that she would have several purple bruises on her thighs when the battle was over.

Kairi parried a spinning attack an armored knight was about to use and leapt up high, ferociously attacking anything below her with a single powerful blow. Landing crouched on her feet, Kairi deftly rose and twirled around, keyblade extended, to hack through the heartless in her immediate area. She briefly smirked as she saw their pink hearts rise into the sky. She turned around to see the spectral figure of Naminé standing behind her. Naminé was concentrating, on what Kairi couldn't tell.

_Naminé_, she asked, _what are you doing?_

_Trying to see if I have a keyblade I can summon,_ Naminé irritably responded. Kairi giggled, she couldn't picture Naminé fighting with a keyblade. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and Naminé had become solid, in her hands she was holding Island's Fire; Kairi's eyes widened in amazement as she gazed at the golden blade. Naminé opened her eyes upon feeling the keyblade's weight in her hands. She smiled and jumped up and down, thoroughly excited.

"I did it," she exclaimed, "I have my own keyblade." She looked herself over and began feeling her abdomen. "And I'm real!" Kairi sighed, before leaping behind Naminé and destroying a heartless that was about to make mince pies out of her Nobody.

"That's great Naminé," she said breathlessly. "But can you fight?" Naminé became quite taken aback at Kairi's comment, before smiling and slightly shrugging. "Then why are out here trying to fight?" Kairi gasped.

"Hey Roxas is now real too!" Naminé pouted, placing her hand on her hips. "He's fighting with Sora, and I thought that now would be the perfect time to learn, right?" Kairi gasped exasperatedly, before her eyes became wide in fear.

"Watch out!" she yelled. Naminé started and twisted around to see what was behind her, her hair swinging with her. An armored knight had just slashed at her, but it missed with Naminé's sudden movement and only cut a few strands of hair. Naminé quickly placed her hand to her blonde locks to examine the damage.

"My hair," she said slowly. "That heartless cut my hair." Naminé's eyes hardened as a fire grew in them. "That son of a bitch!" Kairi was struck dumb at the foul language her Nobody was using.

_I would never say something like that!_ She thought. Whether Naminé heard her or not, Naminé raised her keyblade above her head and prepared to strike at the heartless. The armored knight instinctively raised both of its sword arms together to block the attack. With a mighty cry Naminé threw the Island's Fire down in a brutal slash. Her anger strengthened the blow and made it so powerful that it cut straight through both swords, and cleaved through the heartless' armor like a hot knife through warm butter. Kairi simply stood shocked as Naminé turned towards her.

"I think I'll be alright," she said.

And on the battle raged.

* * *

Pete was standing on one of the cliffs on each side of the Great Maw, and he did not like what he saw.

"Huh," he said to himself, rubbing his chin. "Even though Maleficent left this massive army of heartless here, and it grew because of that stupid town's defenses, and they've managed to separate the nitwits, those twerps are still besting the heartless." Pete placed his head in his hands and began rubbing the backs of his pointy ears. "Oh if they can do this, how are Cossex and what's his name, Nixion? Going to handle them." As Pete mulled over the current situation, he heard a voice carried by the wind cry 'holy'. Pete looked up in surprise at what was taking place on the battlefield. Several large white spheres were appearing around the majority of the heartless, and they began circling the encircled horde before disappearing into the sky. Pete looked in awe as hundreds of tiny rays of light descended upon the heartless, wiping each out in an instant. After what had only taken a few moments, nearly the entire heartless army had been wiped out. Stupefied, Pete gaped open-mouthed at the Great Maw for a second before jumping down the cliffs. Unfortunately for him he couldn't jump the entire distance, and tumbled down the last twenty-five feet or so, landing with a crash in a heap of dirt.

Sora and Roxas, still holding their keyblades, looked up at the big red and black mound that had just come down from the cliffs, wondering what it was when Max came up behind them, wielding his sword. Sora turned his head to look at the boy. He was a quite worse for wear, there was a long gash across his left arm, his bloodstained red shirt was ripped and there were cuts on his chest and back, and there were also a few cuts on his legs around the bloodstains on his jeans. Despite all of his injuries, Max was smiling.

"Okay Sora," he began with a chuckle. "You were right, you always need someone to watch your back." Max then turned quizzically to the person standing next to Sora. "Who's that?" Sora laughed aloud.

"Max," he said, "allow me to introduce my Nobody, Roxas." Roxas inclined his head at Max.

"Max," Roxas began, "I'm sorry you couldn't kill Sora once when you two were playing Star Wars Battlefront II." Max scratched his head.

"How did you know about that?" he asked. Roxas grinned and chuckled somewhat.

"Because I was standing behind Sora, telling him where you were hiding." Max's expression hardened as he curtly turned his head to Sora.

"When we get back to the ship," he ordered, almost incoherently, "rematch, no Nobodies, no mercy." Sora chuckled and placed his hands on his hips.

"I'll still beat you," he said. Max shrugged.

"I might have a chance to kill you though," he replied, smiling. "And that's all that matters." Kairi, Naminé, Leon, Aerith, and the Gullwings came up behind them with their weapons, unnoticed. Max continued his tirade. "So, how many heartless did you two nail anyway?" Sora and Roxas smirked.

"One thousand one hundred fifty-six," Sora said proudly.

"Ah man!" Roxas whined, "I only got one hundred eighty-seven, although I did start only ten minutes ago." Each of them looked at Max.

"Seven hundred twelve," he announced. Sora and Roxas each nodded admirably.

"Awesome job for a newbie," Roxas commented.

"Is that all you guys talk about?" Naminé asked, crossing her arms. "Beating each other?" Kairi placed her head in her hand.

"They're boys Nam," she said. "Everything's a contest between them." Max looked inquiringly at Kairi while pointing at Naminé.

"Who-?" he half asked. Kairi looked up.

"Naminé," she answered. Max's expression was still puzzled yet his gaze followed Naminé as she ran into Roxas' arms and kissed him. Max turned back to Kairi as Aerith healed the party's wounds with a curaga spell. "My Nobody," she finished with a smile.

"Everyone here have a Nobody?" Max asked aloud.

"Well Maleficent has two," a voice said from behind them. "But you'll all be dead before you see 'em." They turned around to see Pete standing behind them. Suddenly five keyblades, two swords (one miniature), a gunblade, a miniscule pistol, and two tiny daggers used by thieves were pointed at him. "I can see where this is going," Pete said fearfully, as he ran back to where the remainder of the heartless were congregating. "I'm going to show you what happens when people mess with the mighty Pete!" he roared.

"This is going to be a cakewalk," Sora muttered to his friends before charging at Pete. The Gullwings quickly flew ahead of Sora and over the heartless to take the first offensive against Pete. Yuna fired a few quick rounds at Pete's gut and Paine threw a slash against the back of his right knee. Pete howled in pain as he knelt to the ground. Rikku used the opportunity to maneuver around him until a certain pocket caught her eye.

"_Drana yeh'd hudrehk E lyh'd cdaym!_" she said, slicing it open. Out of the pocket poured copious amounts of munny. "Takers keepers!" Rikku announced excitedly, scooping it up with the assistance of Yuna and Paine.

"Stupid little backstabbing…" Pete muttered. Paine turned around and glared at him with her red eyes.

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" she growled. Pete whimpered as Paine turned her back on him. Sora grinned as he broke through the heartless meat shield Pete had used to defend himself.

"Treasure hunters," Sora said in admiration. Yuna looked up from her work, smiling.

"Thank you," she said. Pete leapt up from the ground.

"I've had enough of this," he declared. He drew a large ball out of a pocket that had not been ripped in Rikku's hunt for munny, and rolled it at Sora. Acting on instinct, Sora deftly whacked the ball back at its master, where it exploded in a fireball upon impact, pushing Pete back onto the hard earth. Pete got back up from the ground. "Get out of my way!" he yelled, punching Sora back. As Sora staggered, Pete jumped up in the air and landed with a crash, creating a shockwave that sent Sora and the Gullwings crashing to the ground.

"Ow," Rikku said, massaging her posterior, "that hurts." Sora rose from the ground to see Pete menacingly advancing towards him. Sora leapt straight for Pete, artfully swinging his keyblade in front of him, stringing a vicious combo against Pete's gut. Roxas then jumped in behind Pete and attacked him from the air, keeping him pinned between the three keyblades.

_Pete's stamina is incredible,_Roxas thought. Suddenly Pete rose into the air and a barrier formed around him, blocking him from attack.

"Ha ha," he laughed, pleased at his defenses, "Pete's invincible!" Sora smirked and looked around for Max. He spotted him stabbing his sword through one of the few remaining armored knights.

"Hey Max!" Sora called. Max turned and ran towards Sora.

"What is it Sora?" he asked. Sora nudged his head in the direction of the 'invincible' Pete.

"You see that giant sphere of a shield around Pete?" he asked. Max looked and nodded his head, perplexed as to how they were to get through it. Sora continued "I want you to whack it towards the cliffs with your sword as hard as you can." Max looked skeptically at Sora, but ran forward anyways.

"Take this Pete!" Max yelled as he threw his blow. Pete laughed as Max's weapon glanced off his shield, but he was quickly singing a different tune as he started rapidly rolling backwards towards the cliffs. With a resounding crash his shield broke and he tumbled to the ground in a heap. Sora smirked and raised the Oblivion, concentrating on the rising falls that used to be in Hollow Bastion.

"Water," Sora said. A jet of water streamed its way towards Pete, completely soaking and drenching him. Sora quickly shifted his focus from water to the frozen treat of ice cream. "Blizzaga!" he yelled. The water that had been soaking Pete suddenly froze, leaving him encased in a frozen prison. Kairi and the others finished off the heartless and came to Sora's side.

"Cool," Yuna said in awe. Everyone groaned at her comment and Yuna looked around. "What?" she asked when they heard a shattering noise. Pete had broken free of his frozen packaging, shivering.

"That was cold," he stuttered thickly before retreating. "I'll take care of you nitwits next time!" he yelled as he conjured up a swirling portal of darkness, withdrawing from the Radiant Garden. _I won't tell Maleficent what just happened_, he thought privately, _those Nobodies and her don't need to know about this._

"Good riddance," Paine said, staring at the portal as it disappeared. Roxas and Naminé dismissed their keyblades and everyone looked on in astonishment as they faded from being solid to their regular spectral selves.

"Knew it had something to do with the keyblades," Roxas muttered sadly. Sora and Kairi gazed sympathetically at their Nobodies when a light began to shine from Sora's pocket.

"Huh?" Max said as Sora retrieved the picture of his and Kairi's first kiss. Sora released it and the picture hovered in the air. He closed his eyes and held the Oblivion with both hands, a giant image of his three pointed crown pendant glowing on the ground under him. Wind came and swirled all around him, the currents whipping his spiked hair around and filling his vest like a sail. Great dark clouds in twilight appeared and an aura of light surrounded the picture. A shaft of light shot straight up from the aura into the air, creating a large keyhole. Sora looked up and leapt back, flourishing his keyblade. A beam of light radiated from the Oblivion's tip and flowed into the keyhole. With a metallic click light began radiating out of the keyhole, bringing the landscape back to normal.

"What just happened?" Rikku asked. Sora turned to her.

"The road to a new world has opened," he answered. Kairi's face brightened in understanding.

"So that's what you meant," she said, Sora nodding. Leon looked at them.

"We should be able to handle ourselves here Sora," he said. "You should go, or else Maleficent might send those Nobodies after you." Sora nodded and motioned to his party, Roxas and Naminé flowing back into his and Kairi's minds.

* * *

Upon entering the bridge, Max brought up a holographic image of a map of the worlds, searching for the new one. Sora and Kairi were looking over his shoulder when something caught Sora's eyes. The Radiant Garden was now linked to a world with a large clock tower. Max looked down for the name.

"Sora, have you ever been to a place called Neverland?" he asked. Sora nodded, eyes glowing.

"Yeah, set a course for that world," he instructed, happiness creeping into his voice. "I want to see how Peter Pan and Wendy are doing." Max nodded and programmed the autopilot to take them to the new world, sighing when he completed his task.

"Fifteen hours until arrival," he said before his face brightened.

"Well, if it's going to take that long," Kairi said, yawning, "I'm going to go to bed." She lightly kissed Sora on the cheek. "Goodnight my love," she said with a smile and small giggle. Sora smiled and wistfully turned to her as she walked down the steps.

"Goodnight my beloved princess," he called softly. Kairi did not slow her pace.

"I thought I ordered you not to call me 'princess'," she toyed playfully, before entering her room. Sora sighed and turned to Max who was staring at him.

"Rematch, no Nobodies, now!"

* * *

_I guess I lied a little, they didn't go to Space Paranoids. But now you all know the name of the other Nobody so you can all speculate amongst yourselves what his power is going to be._

_I was also going to be lazy and force you to think of the language Rikku and Yuna were speaking and then have their words translated, but I'll be nice so here they are (by the way, if you didn't know they were speaking Al Bhed):_

_Rikku: Do they know about the picture?_

_Yuna: I don't think so._

_Rikku: Guess they know now._

_Rikku: There ain't nothing I can't steal!_

_So those were the Al Bhed remarks in the chapter, translate right here for all of you. Please leave a review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	11. Neverland

_I have a present for all of you, a new chapter!_

_And I am surprised, none of you took it upon yourselves to cheek me and write a review entirely in Al Bhed! I would have done it if I could review my own story. I don't mean to be rude, but it would have just been really funny and made my day._

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Peter Pan. _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XI: Neverland

Sora awoke feeling quite refreshed after beating Max again. Max had killed him twice this time, but he still led the board in kills. Smirking, Sora rose from his bed and proceeded to take a shower, getting ready for the upcoming day.

Donning his black adventuring outfit Sora walked out of his center room, the door 'whooshing' for him. Max and Kairi were already outside, waiting for him. Kairi walked up to him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. She broke off and smiled at him, her perfectly white teeth dazzling him. Max groaned and held his head in one hand.

"Are you guys going to do that all the time?" he asked. Sora and Kairi turned to look at him and smiled sheepishly. Max groaned again and sauntered off a little ways. "We still have five hours to kill," he said before turning back to them. "What are we going to do with it?" As a response, Sora's stomach growled. Kairi giggled as Sora looked down and placed a hand on it.

"We eat breakfast," Sora replied, "then we could train in the simulator or something." Max looked incredulously at him.

"Or something?" he asked. "What did you guys used to do in all this time in limbo?" Sora stared at him with a grin as he began walking off to the kitchen.

"We made the ship faster so we wouldn't have all this time between worlds," Sora replied. "But Chip and Dale didn't like our 'illegal' modifications of their design so they apparently put the ship back to the way it was." As Max pondered this, Sora walked away, Kairi at his side.

Taking some of Sora's words to heart, Max skipped breakfast and headed straight for the bridge. He cut the power to the engines slowly, so that Sora and Kairi wouldn't notice their change in velocity. His task done, Max made his way stealthily to the engine room, ready to begin 'tweaking'.

The engine room was a quite spacious bronze room with the control and diagnostic panel that controlled all four engines hooked up on the far end. On one side was a set of Gummi blocks used for repairs and modifications, and on the other side was an airlock with three anti-gravity spacesuits used in order to complete repairs on the ship's hull when in space. Max looked at his supplies. He had a welding torch, four extra engines that could be expanded to their true size when installed, lengths upon lengths of wires and cords, and a computer system showing the ship's total power capacity and where each percent of that power went. Going up to the master system, Max completely drained the engine's power so that they wouldn't flare up if Sora or Kairi went to the bridge to restart them. And to compensate, he segmented the extra power to Live Support and Vital Systems. Satisfied, Max donned one of the suits and grabbed an engine.

_It's going to be a long day,_ he thought.

* * *

Five hours later, the very same five hours Max said it would take to arrive, Max's 'maintenance' job on the engines was only a quarter completed. He had only been able to install one extra engine, as the whole process had proven more difficult than he first imagined. He was sitting glumly on the floor of the engine room with his head in his hands.

_I'm in way over my head,_ he thought. _We could be there already, but now we're just sitting here, all because of my impatience._ Suddenly Max heard footsteps behind him, he turned to see Sora and Kairi standing there, their expressions unreadable.

"Hey," Max said glumly. Sora nodded, before striding towards the master system. While Sora examined it, Kairi walked up to Max and knelt down beside him.

"We were worried about you," she began, "we didn't know where you were." Max nodded his head and sighed shakily.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. Kairi giggled.

"Don't worry about it," she said, comforting him by placing an arm over his shoulders. "We were just wondering what you were doing down here." Max looked up, glancing between Kairi and Sora.

"I was trying to install extra engines to make the ship travel faster," he explained. "That way we wouldn't have as much time lost in transit." Sora turned around from the computer screen, chuckling.

"Well trying is right," he said, grinning. "You only managed to get one hooked up." Sora shook his head, "Why didn't you ask us to help? Especially since you knew I had already worked on this ship." Max looked helplessly at Sora.

"I guess," Max began, "I wasn't thinking." The trio laughed aloud.

"Come on," Sora said, grabbing an engine, "You've already started, so lets finish the job. Neverland can wait a little longer."

* * *

That afternoon was one of the most enjoyable Max had had in a while. Although work got done slowly, with Sora and Kairi beside him they were able to talk and chat about nearly everything while working. And he gained some valuable experience when it came to working on Gummi ships.

The job was finally done a further six hours later, with Sora and Max working on the computer to reset the ship's power percentages.

"And," Sora said, pressing the apply button, "we are done!" Kairi wiped her brow behind them.

"I'm going to have a shower," she announced, "tell me how long it will take to get to Neverland when I get out." Kairi then walked away, and Max turned to Sora as they made the journey to the _Highwind_'s bridge.

"So what is Neverland like anyway?" he asked.

"Well," Sora replied sadly, "you might have to sit the first part out. There is a city where Wendy lives, and the people there are probably going to lock you up in a circus if they see you." Max looked down glumly. "But don't worry," Sora added hastily, seeing the look on Max's face. "As soon as we actually get to Never-Neverland you will be able to come down onto the world, because nobody there would discriminate you." Max brightened as he looked up.

"Never-Neverland is the place where you, Donald, and my dad first learned to fly right?" he asked as they entered the bridge. Sora nodded with a smile as he approached the console. Activating the engines, Sora gasped in surprise at the ETA. It had decreased from five hours to fifteen minutes! Max, hearing his gasp, looked questioningly at Sora.

"Fifteen minutes," Sora choked out. Max's eyes widened.

"Holy Crap!" he yelled. Suddenly he grinned. "Guess it was worth it to add the extra engines eh?" Sora weakly nodded, before shaking his head.

"I'm going to follow Kairi's example and have a shower," he said. Before he could leave, Max stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"Take these," he ordered. Sora looked down at Max's hand. In it were three flesh-coloured earpieces. Sora looked inquiringly at the boy next to him. "They're communication devices," Max smugly explained. "I made them out of spare com gummi blocks. Just touch it with your finger and you can talk to everyone else with an earpiece. I thought that this world might be a good field test for them." Sora nodded in approval and grabbed two, one for him and one for Kairi before walking away.

_That boy just keeps amazing me,_ he thought.

_Well,_ Roxas answered, _least we know he's resourceful and mechanically inclined. _

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sora and Kairi were standing on the transporter, ready to be digitized down to the world's surface. Sora placed a finger to his ear.

"Max, can you hear me?" he asked. Sora heard the crackle of empty static before Max's voice came on.

"Loud and clear Sora," he said. "Ready to go?" Kairi nodded her head and placed a finger to her ear.

"Beam us down Max," she ordered. Suddenly white beams of light engulfed them, and in the blink of an eye they were gone. On the surface, they stood in front of a condominium. It was dark, cold, and snowing. They were in the middle of a city, divided in two by a river. A large clock tower, Big Ben, could be seen if they turned their heads. Sora looked up at the numbers on the doors of the condo. They were standing in front of number fourteen. The cold suddenly caught up to the two teens and they began shivering.

"Why?" Kairi asked through chattering teeth. "Why are we here?"

"I don't know Kairi," Sora said. "But there is always a reason we land where we do." He looked apprehensively at Kairi; she was shivering uncontrollably. _She has to be freezing in only that breastplate,_ Sora thought, noticing that it only went just above her breasts, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. He shuddered from the cold and removed his vest, placing it over Kairi's shoulders. She clutched it tightly, praying that it would help somewhat.

"Thank you," she said quietly, before Sora planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Let's get inside," he said quickly, placing an arm around her. "Hopefully the people who live here are nice." They quickly walked up to the door. A wreath and holly adorned it around the brass knocker. Sora reached for it with his free hand and knocked three times. They waited, shivering, in silence for a few seconds when the door opened. Inside was an aged woman with curly white hair. She had an air about her of welcoming expected guests but when she saw Sora and Kairi she gasped.

"Oh, you two must be so cold outside, come in, come in," she said hastily in an English accent, waving them inside. The duo muttered a grateful thank you to the old woman as they stepped inside, Kairi shaking the snow out of her crimson locks. When they had brushed themselves off, Sora gazed at the woman in wonder. She caught his look and spoke before Sora could question her. "I'm used to bringing in orphans," she said kindly. "And you two appeared to be in a spot of trouble. I was actually expecting guests tonight, and Liza accidentally prepared an extra room. If you two need a place to spend the night…?" Kairi gazed warmly at her.

"We aren't orphans," she explained, "but we'd love to spend the night since you're gracious enough to extend your hospitality." The woman nodded, and began lead them into the sitting room. A large Christmas tree was situated on the left side near the window. There was a large couch directly in front of the crackling fireplace, and towards the right there were end tables and paintings depicting marvelous scenes. A door led from the right side of the room to a dining room and kitchen. All in all, the place had a rather homely feel.

"Liza," the old woman called. "We have guests." A nicely plump woman with curly red hair came out from the dining room. She screamed in excitement when she saw Sora and Kairi.

"Oh aren't you two the cutest couple I've ever seen!" she let out, rushing them and embracing them in a hug. Kairi looked over Liza's shoulders at Sora and they faintly blushed when their eyes met. "You'll be staying the night I expect in the spirit of the season," Liza continued, letting them go. "And you're names are?" Sora stopped to catch his breath.

"Sora," he answered, massaging his chest.

"Kairi," she said, extending her hand, likewise out of breath. Liza shook her hand and hurried back to the kitchens saying that she would set two extra places. The old woman then led them up the stairs.

"You'll have to excuse Liza," she said. "She gets rather festive at this time of year." Kairi giggled.

"Most people do," she said. "I know my mother does." The woman nodded before opening a door.

"I'm pretty sure Jack and Maggie, my great-grandchildren," she added, seeing Sora's confused look. "Won't mind sleeping in the nursery, well, you two can have this room." Sora entered and looked around. It was a square room, with two simple beds inside. "This is the spare guest room," she said. Suddenly she became inquisitive. "Where exactly are you two from?" she asked. Sora stiffened as he quickly thought up a story.

"We're from some islands a ways away," he said. "And we came here to visit some old friends." The woman nodded her head before hearing the doorknocker.

"Excuse me," she said, "that will be my grandchildren." She bowed out of the room as Kairi entered.

"Nice save," she praised, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow and handing back Sora's vest. He took it and wrapped it around his navy and orange t-shirt.

"There is something familiar about that woman," he said, hearing Liza's scream of excitement. "I don't exactly know how, but it seems like I know her from somewhere." Kairi nodded.

"I know," she added quietly. "I sensed something too." They were silent for a while, contemplating this phenomenon.

"We should probably call Max," Kairi said, breaking the silence. "Tell him we're spending the night down here." Sora nodded and relayed the information to Max on his earpiece, astounded at the capabilities of his invention. Quietly they left the room, to see the aged woman standing on the top of the stairs looking down at the back of a man with brown hair who was explaining to Liza which bags belonged to which people.

"Hello boy," she uttered quietly. The man turned and Sora could see that he was wearing glasses.

"Hello Wendy," he said. Sora's gazed flashed between Wendy and the man.

_No,_ he thought, _it couldn't be…_

_Hey, stranger things have happened._

Another woman with curled blonde hair approached from behind the man.

"I told you gran I'd get him here," she said. "By hook or by crook." The man walked towards Wendy as she descended the stairs.

"Sorry it's been so long between visits gran," he apologized.

"It's been ten years between visits," Wendy said hastily, "but never mind. Come here and give me a squdge." She quickly embraced him in a hug. Kairi looked at Sora.

"Wendy," she whispered, "Is that the same Wendy who was captured with me?" Sora didn't look away from the scene.

"I don't know," he whispered back, inclining his head towards Kairi. Wendy and the man broke apart, and Wendy began greeting each member of her family.

"Oh Moira, Moira, Moira," she said, hugging her granddaughter. When she released her Wendy gasped in shock. "And this lovely lady can't- it can't be Maggie."

"Yes it can," a little girl with blonde hair and a tartan beret said. "And know what Great-Grandma? I just played you at school."

"And don't you just look the part," Wendy said before she gasped when she gazed down at a boy wearing a blue baseball cap.

"Oh, who can this be?" she asked. "Why, why can this giant be Jack? How much you've grown in a year!" Jack approached his great-grandmother.

"I'm supposed to tell you," he said slowly, "about congratulations for opening the, orphan hospital and how great the dedication is, and yeah." Wendy nodded.

"Thank you, very much," she said before looking up the stairs. "Come down you two," she said, seeing the teens in the shadows. Kairi looked apprehensively at Sora as the family below began looking up inquiringly. Sora sighed and grabbed Kairi's hand, walking down the stairs with her a step behind. "This is Sora and Kairi," Wendy said, allowing them to shake hands with the man and Moira. Wendy quickly ushered the duo into line with the family. "Now there is one rule I insist obeyed while you are in my house," she said sternly to all of them. "No growing up," Maggie, Sora, and Kairi giggled. "Stop," Wendy continued, "this very instant. That includes you Mr. Chairman of the Board Banning." The man chuckled.

"Sorry. Too late, gran," he said.

"And what is so terribly important about your terribly important business?" Wendy asked. Before the man could answer Jack stepped forward.

"Well you see," he began with the air of explaining something very important, "whenever a big company's in trouble, Dad sails in." Wendy nodded in understanding and Jack continued. "And if there's any resistance Dad-" his father suddenly cut him off.

"He's exaggerating. I'm actually still in mergers and acquisitions and I'm dabbling into some land development."

"Any resistance," Jack continued with a flourish. "And he blows them out of the water!" He then made several blasting noises, but Wendy looked strangely at Jack's father.

"So, Peter," she said. "You've become a pirate." Sora let out a shallow gasp that only Kairi could hear. She looked at him strangely. Before he could respond, Liza called that it was diner time.

"We'll talk later," Sora muttered to her as Peter led the way to the dining room.

* * *

It was a couple of hours later, and Sora and Kairi were in the room Wendy had lent them. They were both contemplating the current situation.

"So," Kairi began. "Why exactly did Wendy look strangely at Peter when she said that he'd become a pirate?" Naminé faded in.

"Maybe Peter is Peter Pan?" she asked.

"No way," Roxas said, appearing. "He can't be Peter Pan. He's middle-aged. Peter Pan is a boy about twelve."

"But if that's Wendy," Sora said from the bed, "then it could be logical that he's Peter Pan." Kairi placed a finger to her chin.

"But, Wendy was only about twelve when Captain Hook captured her and I was without my heart." She began tapping her foot. "How could she now be about ninety?"

"I think time may work differently for different worlds," Naminé said. Just then they heard Peter yell from down the hall.

"Shut up! Will you just shut up, and leave me alone for one moment? Moira get them out of here, I'm on the phone-call of my life." Roxas and Naminé vanished as Sora and Kairi looked down the hall. Moira was ushering a scared Jack and Maggie out of her room into Wendy's arms. Wendy was wearing a pretty purple dress and had a feather boa around her shoulders.

"Come on now you two," she said comfortingly to Jack and Maggie. "I'll show you the window where your father and I used to blow out the stars." Kairi looked at Sora with a smile.

"We should go too," she said sweetly, resting her head on his shoulder. Sora nodded and followed Wendy.

"You only get to be a kid once," he said, entering the nursery. They looked around the circular room. A large window was situated in the middle on the opposite side, with two beds flanking it. Upon the walls were murals of a fabulous place, with mountains, ships, Indians, and mermaids. But one drawing caught Sora's eye. It was of a man, all dressed in red with a red-feathered hat on the prow of a boat, crashing through the white waves. Sora chilled at the sight. "Hook," he said quietly. Wendy turned to look at him.

"Oh, so you've read the books?" she asked, before quickly turning away and setting up a makeshift tent in the center of the nursery with a bed sheet. "Come," she said, gesturing to the group. Jack declined and stood by the open window, ball glove in hand. Wendy sat down inside the tent and patted the ground beside her. Maggie quickly nestled herself down on Wendy's right side and Sora and Kairi took the left. Wendy pulled a book seemingly from out of nowhere.

"All children, except one, grow up." Wendy said, opening her book. "Now, you know where fairies come from don't you Maggie, and maybe you too Kairi?" she asked, before reciting along with Maggie. "When the first baby laughed, for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about. That is the beginning of fairies. And look," She turned the page to reveal a picture of a young girl gazing out of a windowsill. "I'm Wendy," she said with a pause, "or was a long time ago." Sora's eyes grew wide in shock.

_I knew it!_ Roxas yelled in his mind. Maggie looked up at Wendy.

"But Jack says you're not the really real Wendy."

"Ah, well you see where Jack is?" Wendy asked, pointing at him. "That is the same window, and this is the same room where we made up bedtime stories about Peter Pan, and Neverland, and scary old Captain Hook. And did you know our neighbor Mr. Barrie, well Sir James, he liked them all so much, that he wrote them all down in a book, oh eighty years ago?"

"You're really old." Maggie said. Wendy nodded, turning the page.

"That's very true," she said. "But there was one story we didn't tell Mr. Barrie." Sora, Kairi, Maggie, and even Jack perked up in interest. "Once, in Neverland," Wendy began, "Captain Hook kidnapped Wendy, and another girl by the name of Kairi who had bright red hair." Wendy looked around at those around her, seeing Jack having come closer to sit next to his sister, when her eyes caught sight of Kairi. "She actually looked a lot like you." Wendy said while looking at Kairi. Sora and his girlfriend grinned and looked at each other before letting Wendy continue. "He placed them on his ship, and a boy with silver hair by the name of Riku came with an evil witch called Maleficent. Together with Hook they held the girls captive from Peter Pan and a trio of strange warriors from another world. One was a large dog-man called Goofy another was a duck by the name of Donald. And the third," Wendy continued slowly, looking strangely at Sora, "was a young boy with spiky brown hair wearing red and blue by the name of Sora." She shook her head slightly and lookd back down at Maggie. "Instead of using pirates, as was Hook's custom being a pirate captain, together the three villains used a being called a heartless that took the shape of a pirate."

"Now the boy, Sora, held a mystical weapon called a keyblade which legend had it was the only weapon that could combat the heartless." Jack looked on in excitement, he like many boys, loved tales of combat. Sora on the other hand, instead of listening intently to his last adventure in Neverland like Jack, was looking warmly at Kairi, whose eyes were twinkling.

"Where have I heard this before?" Kairi asked him quietly, before they leant together and kissed. Joyously thankful that they were finally together and whole unlike the time Wendy was speaking about. Wendy, Jack, and Maggie looked at them; Jack's face one of revulsion.

"Gross," he said, getting up and walking back to the window. Maggie giggled as Sora and Kairi broke apart slowly. Kairi joined Maggie in giggling as Sora chuckled at Jack.

"Though luck kid," Sora said. "One day you're going to fall in love, then you won't find it so gross." Kairi laughed.

"Sora, you used to think kissing gross?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied, "at least a few years ago." Kairi giggled as Sora flashed her a goofy grin and she kissed him on the cheek. Wendy broke them apart with an inquiring glance and well placed question.

"Kairi, what do you mean 'where have I heard this before'?" Sora and Kairi froze in place. They knew that they had just let it slip. Wendy continued with her interrogation. "Did your parents perhaps tell you this? Because I haven't told anyone until now." Sora looked into Kairi's eyes.

_We'll just have to come clean,_ he thought to Roxas. _Can you tell Naminé to tell Kairi I said that? _Roxas' reply came back irritable.

_Fine, but do I look like a messenger to you?_ A moment later Sora saw Kairi nod in a way that made him know he was to tell Wendy.

"No," Sora said with a sigh. "Our parents didn't tell us this story." Wendy became flustered.

"Then how did you-?" she asked before a strange sight caught her eyes. Sora's right hand was just a little ways off the ground but there was a light in it, he was calling his keyblade, but he was making sure that his hold on it was light. In his palm, the Oblivion half shimmered for a moment or two. Fortunately Wendy and Kairi were the only ones swift enough to catch sight of it before Sora released it. Wendy nodded approvingly. "So that's how you know," she said. Wendy turned back to Maggie and was about to continue telling the story when Peter appeared behind them, all dressed up in a tux.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But I need to steal granny Wendy, or she's going to be late for the most important event of her life."

"Oh no daddy," Maggie complained. "Great-Grandma was telling us a story." Wendy quickly patted her shoulder.

"No, no dear, it's alright," she comforted. "I'll tell you the rest tomorrow." She quickly got up, and helped Peter and Moira get Jack and Maggie into bed. Sora noticed Peter holding by Jack's bed and giving him a watch before they were ushered out. "Dear nightlights," Wendy said as they left the room, "protect my sleeping babes. Burn clear and steadfast tonight." Sora and Kairi looked up at Wendy, as she looked down at the two of them.

"I remember you two now, Sora and Kairi. And I'm glad to see that you're awake now Kairi," she said quietly, placing her hands on their shoulders. "Watch over them." Kairi nodded.

"Don't worry Wendy," she said, "we will. I promise." Sora bowed low.

"It will be an honor," he said. Wendy smiled at the two of them before following Peter and Moira out.

* * *

Later that night, Sora and Kairi were in their room, discussing with Roxas and Naminé how Wendy could be so old. Abruptly, they heard Nana, Wendy's sheepdog, barking. Roxas went to the window.

"Wonder what it could be about," he said, looking down. Before they had wondered about it long, they could hear the voice of Toodles on the couch in the sitting room.

"Hook! Hook! Hook!" he was yelling, in time with Nana's barks. Suddenly, a green light began coming from the window, and Roxas turned to face the room. Screams began coming from the nursery.

"Maggie and Jack!" Kairi yelled in anxiety as Roxas and Naminé flooded back into the confines of their minds. She bolted out of the room, Sora on her heels. Kairi ripped open the doors of the nursery, the Oathkeeper already in her hands. The room was bathed in the green light that was flooding in from the open window. Kairi gasped, but before she or Sora could register what was happening darkness took them, and they collapsed unconscious on the floor, Oathkeeper vanishing, and the door closing.

* * *

Sora awoke in pain as a woman's heeled shoe stepped on his back. More pain came to him as more footsteps fell on his back, and one on his head. He heard a small yelp of pain next to him and rubbed his head. Sora had half turned his head towards the girl next to him on the floor when pairs of shoes ran him over again. He groaned loudly and he slowly sat upright. Not hearing the words being spoken, Sora looked over at Kairi and kindly helped her up into a sitting position. Kairi placed her head in her hand, wincing.

"What just happened?" she asked aloud. Finally, they were able to catch the words being spoken. An old man by the name of Toodles had entered the room mysteriously, and was talking.

"Have to fly," he said, advancing towards Peter, "have to fight, have to crow. Have to save Maggie, have to save Jack, Hook is back." Peter just stared at Toodles.

"Who?" he asked. Wendy fainted, and Sora and Kairi finally stood up, woozy.

"Someone mind telling us what's going on," Sora said wearily. Peter rounded on him.

"Why don't you tell me?" he roared forcefully. Sora was so taken aback that he flailed his arms and fell back down. "You were here! Where are my children?" Kairi knelt down next to Sora, and placed her arms around him in a protecting embrace.

"Leave us alone," she yelled back, tears of anger and failure on her cheeks. "We tried to protect Maggie and Jack, but we fell unconscious moments after we got in here! We wouldn't break a promise to Wendy unless we couldn't do anything to avoid it." Peter would have continued had Moira not placed a hand on his shoulder.

"They're just kids dear," she said kindly, her voice betraying that she was upset. "And why would they have been lying on the floor like that if they had kidnapped them?" Fuming, Peter stalked out of the room, just missing the dagger stuck to the door.

* * *

A while later, Sora and Kairi were again in their room, except now they were both moping on their beds. Wondering how this could have happened.

"How Sora," Kairi asked, breaking the silence. "How could we have lost consciousness?" Sora shook his head.

"I don't know how Kairi," he replied, before his gaze hardened. "But if Hook took them, he must have gone to Neverland. That's where the kids are, and we're going to get them back." Kairi gasped.

"But how?" she asked. "The pixie dust is still at home, right?" Sora grinned and took the box out of one of his numerous pockets. Kairi's eyes widened in excitement before Sora sprinkled a pinch of the golden dust over her. They stood up, and had just left the room when they heard Peter yell from inside the nursery.

"I do not believe in fairies!" Kairi looked at Sora.

"Tink?" she asked. Sora became highly interested, and he opened the door to the nursery. Inside Peter was kneeling in front of an open dollhouse. A tiny figure in green with wings and red hair was inside the house, spread-eagled on the ground.

"Clap you're hands Peter," the girl whispered. "It's the only way to save me." Peter began clapping his hands together quietly and Sora grinned at what Tink was doing. "Louder," Tink whispered, and Peter clapped a little louder. She became frustrated at his lack of volume and raised her head off the ground to glare at him. "Louder Peter!" she yelled before pretending to play dead again. Sora chuckled slightly and he and Kairi began to clap as well, just to keep it going. Peter was clapping very hard now.

"Okay I'm clapping! I'm clapping!" he said. Tink smiled and got up off the rug in the dollhouse. "Thank God," Peter said, not noticing Sora and Kairi. "You're alive." Tink smiled and stood next to a doll in the kitchen.

"All right now," she asked. "Who am I?" Peter sighed in thought before coming up with an answer suitable for a psychiatrist, even though he is a lawyer.

"You're um… You're a complex Freudian hallucination having something to do with my mother and I don't know why you have wings, but you have very lovely legs and you're a very nice tiny person, and what am I saying? I don't know who my mother was, I'm an orphan, and I've never taken drugs because I missed the 60's, I was an accountant." Tink flew up from the house.

"Guess again," she laughed, pulling the rug up from under his feet. Sora and Kairi laughed, as Peter lay dazed on the ground.

"She's Tinkerbell," Sora said, attracting Tink's attention as she wrapped Peter up in a bed sheet.

"Sora! Kairi!" she exclaimed. "It's so good to see you again!" Sora nodded his head at her. Peter was still gazing at the ceiling.

"Oh, stars," he said. Tink chuckled.

"That's right Peter," she said, "second star to the right and straight on 'till morning. Neverland."

"Good to see you too Tink," he said before cocking his head. "Is that what you did at the spa?" he asked. "Dye your hair red?"

"The spa?" Tink asked, not quite remembering as she rose into the air with Peter in tow. Sora and Kairi rose with her and flanked the bed sheet.

"You know Tink," Kairi said. "I thought it would be hard to get out of your head since it was only five days ago." Tink gaped at them as they flew past Big Ben through the night air.

"Five days?" she exclaimed. "Sora, Kairi, it's been a year!" The two teens faltered for a few moments, dropping several feet.

"I guess Naminé was right," Kairi said when they regained altitude. "Time does work differently in different worlds."

Onwards they flew, but Kairi had never flown for so long before. And despite the joy and exhilaration that flying brings, she was soon sleeping peacefully in Sora's arms. He looked down and beheld his princess as he flew in Tinkerbell's wake.

"Don't worry Kairi," he cooed softly. "I'll never let you fall." To Sora it seemed as if Kairi had heard him and she smiled in her sleep, suddenly cuddling closer to him. "Sleep well my love," Sora said softly, pecking her on the cheek. Tink looked back at them and then sharply turned her head back around, jealousy tainting her cheeks. Then quite suddenly the jealousy was gone, and she smiled.

_Sora isn't really my type anyway_, she thought, him not being from this world and all.

* * *

Much later, Sora and Tink were flying over clouds when they saw below them a large star-shaped island, with a compass rose etched into the sea around it. Tink led him down to the Pirate town nearby Hook's ship. Peter landed on a wooden bridge in the town with a soft thump and Sora landed next to it, Kairi stirring in his arms. He placed her down on a bench, where she woke with a great, cute, yawn. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she smiled fondly at Sora.

"Morning sleepy," Sora said, kissing her passionately. She held the kiss for several moments before Peter's grunting broke them.

"Oh, what a nightmare!" he groaned. "Moira!" Peter stuck a finger out of a hole in the sheet and twisted it around. Slowly, he ripped open the sheets to reveal the town. Directly in front of him was a large crocodile with a clock in its open mouth. Pirates were walking about everywhere beneath them as the morning business opened up. The party suddenly became aware of the vendor's calls.

"Neverbirds!" one yelled. "Three for a farthing!"

"Pies for sale!"

"Fish! Fresh fish! We keep the eyes in so they see you through the week!" Peter stood up and began walking around.

"Excuse me," he said to a pirate sitting down with a hangover, "is there a payphone anywhere nearby?" The pirate merely looked strangely at him. "That is so real," Peter said, walking away.

"Peter!" Tink called from the sheets. "Get back here! Get down, get low!" But Peter didn't hear her and walked straight into a gaggle of pirates that took fancy to his shiny shoes.

"Tinkerball!" Peter called as he backed away from being gutted. "Tinkerbun! Help me Tinkerbell!" Tink quickly flew in with Sora and Kairi, and they quickly dispatched the pirates. They garbed Peter in the clothes of the fallen, and Tink instructed Peter on how to act as a pirate. Peter hobbled his way through the streets with Tinkerbell resting on his hat while Sora and Kairi took to the air to follow them over rooftops. As Peter was backing up from having successfully greeted a pirate in pirate fashion a blacksmith placed a polished iron hook on a red velvet pillow a pudgy man was carrying. Sora glanced at the man, recognizing him.

"That's Smee," he whispered to Kairi, "Hook's first mate." Smee began walking through the streets towards a ship, a crowd following in his wake shouting, "Hook! Hook! Hook! Give us the Hook! Hook! Show us the Hook!"

"Follow that hook!" Tinkerbell ordered from the brim of Peter's hat. Sora and Kairi followed over the rooftops, watching with interest. Smee carried the hook onto the ship and stepped through a door to the Capt.'s Cabin. Sora and Kairi landed in the crow's nest while Peter took a spot in the rear of the crowd, Tink hopping behind a glass on a barrel. They all peered at Smee as he reappeared, carrying a funnel he used for making announcements.

"Good morning Neverland!" Smee yelled into the funnel. The pirates returned his greeting earnestly. "Tie down the main mast mateys," said Smee, raising his right palm and lowering the funnel. "Cause here he is- the cunning king fish, the bad barracuda. A man so deep, he's almost unfathomable." Kairi swore she could hear crickets chirping and Sora chuckled a little at how stupid the pirates were. Smee gestured with his arms in displeasure. "A man so quick," he restated, "he's even fast asleep." The crew burst out in laughter and the dynamic duo atop the crow's nest chuckled at them. "Thank you," continued Smee as he began walking back up the steps. "Now let's give him a very big hand, cause he's only got one." He paused for laughter and motioned towards the door. "I give you, the steel-handed stingray! Captain James Hook!" The crowd started chanting, "Hook!" as their captain left his private chambers. A man with long twirling black hair, bushy eyebrows and a curling mustache wearing a pointed black hat with white feathers, and a long red coat walked towards the edge of the upper deck and exchanged a few choice words with Smee before addressing his chanting minions.

"Well my stupid, sorry, parasitic sacks of entrails," Capt. Hook began. Sora ducked down, his face screwed up and a hand on his forehead. It was all he could do to keep him from bursting out laughing. He glanced next to him to see Kairi lying on the wood, clutching her ribs and silently giggling her heart out. Hook continued, completely unaware of the scene atop his observation platform, "revenge is mine." A man in the front of the crowd let out a shout.

"Long live the Hook!" Capt. Hook pointed his hook at the pirate.

"I baited that hook and now I'm very proud to announce," a smile formed on his lips, "we have his children." The crowd began chanting, "Long live the Hook," but Peter's reacting was quite different.

"Oh my God," he said quietly to himself, "Jack, Maggie."

"Finally I'm going to kill Peter Pan," Hook yelled quite pleased, "that cocky boy who cut off my hand and fed it to the crocodile!" Hook paused for a second. "And who killed that cunning crocodile?" he questioned his men.

"Hook!" answered they.

"Who stuffed him?"

"Hook!"

"Who made him into a quiet clock?"

"Hook!"

"Who went into the other world and stole Pan's children?"

"Hook!"

"And who didn't believe I could do it?" Hook asked. "Who doubted me?" he barked. "Who among us does not belong? Someone here does not belong, a stranger amongst the loyal. I will weed you out." Sora and Kairi ducked down again, discomfort seizing them. Should Hook look up and spot them, they would surely have every pirate in town hunting them. It was a little easier for Peter, being in the back of the crowd, yet he still shifted uneasily. "You," Hook said, pointing with his steel appendage into the crowd, each pirate motioning towards himself as if he meant him alone. "You!" Hook growled. "Yes you-" he said taking a step down before looking at his feet and backing up. "Where's the carpet Smee?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry sir," Smee apologized, banging his foot on the deck. Each stair flipped around revealing a red carpet underneath. Captain James Hook then moved down the steps muttering, 'you' and shoving pirates aside until he came to two at the back. One was Peter, wearing a purple cloak, a black eye-patch, and had a wooden cane. The other was a middle-aged pirate with a head of frazzled grey hair and beard. Hook moved towards this pirate and Peter deftly moved out of the way, switching his eye-patch from being over his right eye to his left so he could see better.

"You bet against me bringing Pan back here didn't you?" Hook asked.

"No," the pirate replied.

"Tell your captain the truth," Hook said. There was a pause before the pirate broke down and started sobbing. Hook's face became sympathetic. "Aw, say it."

"I did," the pirate mumbled. Hook nodded slightly.

"Yes you did."

"I did."

"Yes, you made a boo-boo," his captain said sympathetically before turning to another pirate. "The boo box," Hook ordered.

"No not that!" the frazzled treacherous pirate yelped. "Not the boo box! No!" He was lifted up and taken away by four pirates who placed him in a chest. One then lifted a hole in the top up and dropped two poisonous black scorpions on him, each with a 'boo'. Kairi winced.

"That's barbaric," she whispered to Sora, a hand over her mouth in shock. He inclined his head towards her.

"That's what pirates do," he said. "You may see worse things in Port Royal." Kairi looked at Sora before her attention was brought back when a large net was hoisted up from the ship's hold, with Jack and Maggie trapped inside.

"Let me down!" Jack roared.

"I want my mommy!" cried Maggie, "I want my daddy!" Hook turned around, his expression sarcastic.

"Hello children," he said. "Comfy? Cozy?" Peter had seen enough.

"Those are my kids!" he yelled, silencing the pirates and ripping his disguise off. Sora slapped his forehead and Kairi turned her head and gazed quizzically at Sora.

"Hey," she said, "you'd do the same thing if those were our kids." Sora turned his head away from the scene below and looked at Kairi.

"Yeah, but we don't have kids," he argued before becoming inquisitive himself. "What, you want kids?" he asked. Kairi nodded, both of them completely forgetting about the situation below.

"Of course," she said brightly. "That is," Kairi added hastily, " not now of course. I would like to have kids after we're get married." Sora smiled at her and quickly kissed her lips.

"Glad to know you're thinking of the future," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kairi pursed her lips as he held her.

"But what would we do for careers Sora?" she asked. "I imagine fighting heartless and nobodies pays well, what with all the munny you find on them. But that isn't a steady income…" she left her sentence hanging as Sora began rubbing her back.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I've forgotten all plans of what I had wanted to be after the heartless came and destroyed the islands. I haven't really had a thought to spare about the not-so distant future." They suddenly jerked up and cautiously looked over the rim again hearing Hook's voice. Peter was lying on a mast, Jack and Maggie in the net with their arms outstretched only a few feet away.

"Smee, I don't understand. Why doesn't he fly? Is he not Peter Pan?" Hook asked his first mate.

"He's Peter Pan all right Captain," Smee explained slowly. "He's just been away from Neverland so long, his mind's been junk-tified. He's forgotten everything." Sora looked down sadly at Peter, who was simply clinging on to the mast in the silence that began.

"Then he's even forgotten us," Sora said slowly, his voice catching. Kairi looked in worry at Sora and she placed a comforting hand on his cheek. "It's happening all over again," Sora choked. "Except this time, I'm not asleep, but awake."

"No Sora," Kairi cooed softly. "It's only with Peter, not anyone else. Tink still remembered you, Wendy still did, and Hook probably does too." She turned his head towards her, forcing him to look into her bright blue eyes and smell her perfume. "And I'll never forget you," she finished softly before Hook's words carried up to them again.

"Gentlemen," he said. "I am afraid I have decided, to cancel the war." The men on deck roared in disapproval and several who were on the netting pushed Peter off the mast, causing him to swing by the foot of his that was caught in a rope.

"He can't fly but he can swim!" one shouted.

"Kill them," Hook continued, waving his arm. "Kill them all." Jack and Maggie screamed as pirates brought a familiar plank aboard to make Peter walk across. Sora clenched his teeth as he bristled with anger, Oblivion appearing in full in his right hand.

"We get him?" Kairi growled, Oathkeeper materializing. Sora nodded and they took to the skies like speeding bullets, disappearing into the clouds before any could see them. Quickly they maneuvered themselves behind the captain while high above his sight and they could vaguely make out his cry of, "And I never want to hear the name 'Peter Pan' again!" Sora descended upon him just as Tinkerbell confronted the captain.

"Is that how you want to be remembered?" she asked while Kairi landed. "As a bully? Or as the great warrior who defeated a heroic Pan?" She pulled out her tiny dagger and stuck it in Hook's nose. "One week and we'll get him in shape. Then you can have your dirty, old, war." Smee ran up the steps and pulled out a pistol, trying to decide whom to shoot. Quickly he chose Tinkerbell.

"It's a trick captain," he said roughly, pointing the pistol at Tink, who was hovering in front of Hook's face. "Let me blast that buzzing vixen to Pixie hell." Tink flew away as he said this, leaving Smee pointing the gun straight at Hook's head. Hook took the pistol in his hand and pointed it around, so its barrel was aiming at its master. The captain turned to look at Tink, who was standing with her back turned to him on the banister.

"Two days," he said. Tink swiveled her head around.

"Four, bare minimum for a decent Pan."

"Three, final offer." Tink turned around, her arms crossed.

"Done," she said. Hook offered her his steel hook, which she shook.

"And you'd better deliver miss Bell," he warned. "Or no amount of clapping will bring you back from where I will send you." The captain paused, and turned to the two keyblade wielding teens. "And who are you?" he asked. "I do not believe I invited you to these festivities." Sora cocked his head at Capt. Hook.

"Um, hello," Sora said, tapping the Oblivion against the wood, "keyblade master." Upon hearing the word 'keyblade', Hook froze. A scowl formed on his face.

"You!" he yelled, before turning his Hook to Kairi. "And you! I thought you looked familiar. I see you have your heart back princess, but how can you two still look like this after eighty years? You should be decrepit old fossils by now." Sora smirked, the knowledge that just over a year to him had become eighty years irked him, but just the ability of freaking Hook out with his youth made him smile.

"Time works differently in other worlds Hook," said Sora.

"So it would seem," Hook scowled. "Perhaps you being here will help Pan remember his past better," he postulated before turning to his lackeys. "Hear me men," he said. "On account of good form I have decided that the so-called Pan shall return in three days time to commence the arbitriament of the sword. Smee translate."

"In three days we're going to have a war," Smee announced. "A battle between good and evil, to the death!" The pirates reacted joyously, a little too enthusiastic though, as one pirate accidentally knocked Peter backwards onto the plank and he bounced off into the waters below.

"Peter!" Sora, Kairi, and Tinkerbell yelled in panic. With haste they flew overboard and saw Peter sinking beneath the surface, mouthing, 'Help me.' They sadly watched him sink into the clear aqua water.

"What now?" Kairi asked, as Tink turned to them.

"Oh, the mermaids will save him," she scowled. "We'd better head to old man's tree, so we can pretend to be surprised when he shows up at our camp." Sora and Kairi nodded before looking around nervously.

"Right…" Sora began. "Where is that again?" Tinkerbell smiled at the two of them.

"Come on," she said, leading the way. Sora placed his hand to his ear.

"Can you hear me Max?" he asked. A little static filled his ears before Max's voice came on.

"Loud and clear Sora." Sora smiled, knowing that they still worked.

"Do these things have tracking devices in them?" Sora asked. The static buzzed in his ears before Max answered, a little puzzled.

"Yeah, they do," Max said. "But they can only track you in the world beneath the Gummi ship. Why do you ask?"

"Because as soon as we stop moving on the tracking device," Sora ordered, "I want you to beam down here with us. We have some training to do."

* * *

_I hope you guys enjoy my take on Hook, which actually is to be pretty accurate to the movie in certain scenes._

_Please review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	12. The Training of Peter Pan

_Thank you all for the reviews! Here's the next chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Peter Pan, Monty Python, or the movie Hook. Disney, Square Enix, A children's hospital in London, Monty Python, and Sir Steven Spielberg own all those. _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XII: The Training of Peter Pan

Sora, Kairi, Tinkerbell, and Max were waiting in silence in the Lost Boy's camp on a wooden platform for Peter Pan to arrive. The silence was broken abruptly when a man with brown hair wearing a white shirt, red suspenders, black bowtie, and a dinner jacket broke through the center of the platform wrapped in vines.

"Get me down!" he yelled. "I believe!" Sora, Kairi and Tink were laughing at him while Max rubbed his head, puzzled. Tinkerbell leapt up into the sky, drawing her dagger.

"Lost boys! Lost boys wake up!" she yelled, cutting the vine. Peter fell back down through the hole he had made and Tink went around to each of the lost boys waking them and yelling, "Pan's back!" She even cut one lost boy's pillow. A little one exited his house and joined in the yelling, and soon everyone was leaving his dwelling to see Peter Pan. Max turned to Sora and Kairi, still confused.

"That guy's Peter Pan?" he asked. Sora nodded his head, filling Max in.

"And we have three days to make him remember himself," Kairi said when Sora finished explaining how he could be Peter Pan. Max nodded his head and turned to see the lost boys cutting Peter out of the vines that he was freshly tangled in. All of them became surprised when Peter rose in front of them, and then stood higher up on a few rocks.

"That ain't Peter Pan," a boy with sleek black hair and wearing a tartan blue tweed shirt said.

"He's old," a coloured boy with a grey cap said.

"He's fat," a boy with curly black hair commented.

"Not so fat to me," an obese kid mentioned.

"He's an old, fat, grandpa man," the boy with curly black hair said. Then they all whipped their heads around as they heard a horn blowing. A teenage boy with a red and black mullet was on a parasail on wheels and was careening his way down a roller coaster track.

"Rufio! Rufio!" the lost boys chanted. "Ru-fi-ooooo." Rufio leapt off the coaster and onto a suspended swing. He began swinging above the crowd as Peter commented to himself as to how dangerous that was. Rufio let go of the swing and landed right in front of Peter, smiling.

"That is enough!" Peter roared. Rufio smirked and drew a bronze sword with a coconut hilt. "Okay, mister," Peter said nervously, backing away in Rufio's wake. "The show's over now. You put that thing away, put it down before you poke somebody's eye out." Rufio glanced at the lost boys around him, all of them jeering him on. "You're not old enough to shave," Peter continued. "What are you doing with a sword? Flying around- this is an insurance nightmare. What is this some sort of Lord of the Flies preschool? Where are your parents?" Peter desperately asked the lost boys. "Who's in charge here?" The laughing and jeering stopped as all fingers pointed to Rufio, who bowed slightly. "No," Peter said, shaking his head. "No, Mr. Skunkhead with too much mousse. You are just a punk kid. I want to speak to a grown up!" he yelled, turning his back on Rufio and the lost boys.

"All grown ups are pirates!" Rufio retorted. Peter turned around.

"Excuse me?" he said. Rufio extended his arms.

"We kill pirates," he explained.

"I'm not a pirate" Peter explained, annoyed, "As it so happens. I am a lawyer." Sora, Max and Kairi chuckled.

"Same dif," Sora muttered. Rufio raised his sword.

"Kill the lawyer!" he roared, the lost boys joining in screaming his order, drawing their own swords.

"I'm not that kind of lawyer," Peter mumbled before running off. Sora instantly became anxious and drew his keyblade.

"Crap," he muttered, flying off after Peter in a fruitless attempt to get ahead of the lost boys. It was nigh impossible for either himself or Kairi to get ahead through flying, as Peter constantly ran under buildings or got himself driven away in different directions, and it was also impossible for Max to get ahead because he was stuck at the back of the pack.

Eventually, all three were able to reach him just as Rufio did. Rufio raised his sword and advanced upon the panting, defenseless Banning.

"Peter!" the trio yelled, Sora dashing forward. As Rufio's blow was about to slice Peter's face in two it met resistance with a resounding clang. Sora had blocked it effortlessly with the Oblivion.

"Touch a hair on Peter Pan's head," Sora growled, his voice full of malice, "and you die." Rufio smirked at Sora before glancing around. His smirk slipped off of his face when he saw four keyblades and a sword pointed straight at his neck. Kairi and Naminé were standing to his left, Oathkeeper and Island's Fire extended, while Roxas and Max were to his right, Oathkeeper, Oblivion, and Max's sword, the Defender, practically at his neck. The remainder of the lost boys were restrained from sticking the company with their blades by Tink, who was explaining to them about why Peter Pan was back and how he was different from before. Rufio stared at Sora.

"You call this a fair fight?" he asked.

"You call killing defenseless fathers fun?" Sora retaliated. Rufio laughed at him, but did not dare say yes, given the number of weapons that were currently inches from running him through.

"Would you like to call off you're friends here?" he asked, a bead of sweat appearing on his brow. Sora grimly nodded at his companions, and they lowered their weapons, Roxas and Naminé vanishing. Rufio looked around, bewildered. "Hey! Where did they go?" Sora and Kairi smirked as they tapped their heads with their fingers. Rufio shrugged it off and drew a line in the dirt with the tip of his sword.

"You can't fly, fight, or crow," he announced to the lost boys, meaning Peter. "So, if any of you say that this here scug, ain't Peter Pan, cross the line." Peter got up from his knees, and quickly crossed the line to join Rufio. Sora sighed and raised his keyblade.

"Magnet," he muttered tiredly. Peter suddenly zipped back across the line to his side.

"You are embarrassing us," Kairi scowled at him. In moments every lost boy had went across the line as Sora, Kairi, Max, and Tink retreated to a safe distance behind the line, every boy except one little one. The boy approached Peter and began manipulating his face until he had a smile.

"Oh there you are Peter," he said. Immediately several boys crossed the line and examined him, reaching the same result. The company smiled at them.

"But Peter," one with curly ginger hair remembered, "you've grown up. You promised never to grow old."

"His nose got real big," the sleek haired one said.

"Well," the one with curly black hair said. "Welcome back to Neverland, Pan the man."

"Don't listen to that stinking fairy, that brainless fungus, that weird dog, idiotic munchkin, or that- that," Rufio appeared to be struggling for the right insult for Kairi, "doll," he said triumphantly. Sora and Kairi's eyes hardened exponentially towards Rufio as he finished his rant. "I've got Pan's sword, I'm the Pan now! You think he's going to take it from me, Rufio?" Kairi's eyes flashed and flared, pyrotechnics working deep within them as she stared daggers at Rufio.

"Did you just call my girlfriend 'doll'?" Sora snarled, raising the Oblivion. No one had called Kairi 'doll' since Bob, and neither of them was fond of those incidents. He was about to charge Rufio in anger when Kairi stayed him with her hand.

"No Sora," she objected, "he's mine. This time, I teach the punk a lesson." Rufio grinned widely as the lost boys parted, forgetting about Peter Pan for the moment. Sora inclined his head at Max.

"500 munny says Kairi stomps him in under twenty seconds," he muttered. Max readied his arm, watch poised.

"I have 500 munny on Kairi to win in under twenty seconds," he announced like an auctioneer. "Do I have any other takers?" Instantly the lost boys were in an uproar as they leapt at Max, all placing bets for Rufio to win at various times. Kairi turned her head to Sora.

"Am I a sideshow attraction now?" she asked. Sora shook his head.

"No, your fight has become one," he explained. Kairi raised an eyebrow at him and Sora raised his arms in defense. "Hey, my bet was supposed to be just against Max, it's his fault for it becoming this."

"Okay," Max announced greedily. "We have 500 munny to say Kairi wins in under twenty seconds, and a total of 1 232 munny saying Rufio wins. If Kairi wins in over twenty seconds or Rufio wins in over one minute dealer takes all." Tinkerbell gaped at Max.

"This whole scheme is just for you to make money?" she asked. Max shrugged.

"Hey, a guy needs cash right?" Sora, Kairi, and Tink shook their heads while Rufio cracked his knuckles.

"So, the doll wants to fight the great Rufio," Rufio taunted cockily, raising his sword at her. Kairi turned back around to face him, eyes blazing. "Too bad the doll will pay for her pride with her life, and your friend's munny." Kairi raised the Oathkeeper and let loose a cry of anger as she charged Rufio. He raised his gleaming bronze blade to block her downward slash, but he could not attack Kairi afterwards as she instantly returned with a lunge to his side. Rufio quickly realized that his taunting had awakened a sleeping giantess, and she was not happy.

"Don't! Ever!" Kairi huffed, each word ending with a clang of keyblade on sword from her powerful blows. "Call! Me! Doll!" With her final word she swung the Oathkeeper right at Rufio's vertical sword in a horizontal slash, knocking it out of his hands and embedding it a foot into a wall ten feet away. Kairi pointed her keyblade at Rufio's chin as he looked from her to his hand to his sword, completely in shock. Max stopped his watch, fourteen seconds. With a sigh he collected the lost boys' munny and placed it in one of Sora's moneybags. Kairi grinned and ran a hand through her hair. "Don't mess with a princess," she scolded before turning round and walking back to Sora, hips swaying. Sora was standing with his arms crossed, smiling at Kairi, but as she approached he unfolded his arms and wrapped them around her bare lower back as she placed hers around his neck and shoulders. They drew their heads together, grinning madly at her success, before closing the gap and sharing a passionate kiss. They did not hear the lost boys 'ewwing' in disgust, see Max's head shaking or Peter turning around so he wouldn't see them. Slowly they broke to each other's starry blue eyes.

"I love you," Sora whispered and Kairi nestled into the crook in his shoulder.

"I know," she replied playfully. Rufio looked at the two lovebirds in disgust.

"You see that boys," he said, motioning with his arm, "that is why we don't let girls in here. Give them to the Indians, cause we don't need people falling in love." Sora looked strangely at him.

"That is the biggest mistake of your lives then," he said, glancing at Kairi. "Love," he explained, "is the most beautiful feeling and most precious thing in all the worlds. You can't say you've had a full life when your time is done if you have never loved another more than yourself, for the only thing in life that matters is love, and it's worth fighting for." The few lost boys who were on Peter's side seemed moved by his words, yet Rufio and many of those on his side were unmoved.

"Peter loves his children with all his heart," Kairi pleaded, remembering he was there. "We need to get him ready to face Hook to win them back."

"You gonna follow that drooler," Rufio spat, "against Capitán Hook?"

"What's he doing her if he's not Peter Pan huh?" the little boy who first stayed with Peter retaliated. "He don't look happy here, and who are them kids Hook's got? Give him a chance!"

"Those are my kids," Peter said quickly, standing up. "And Hook's going to kill them if we don't do something." Peter looked pleadingly at the lost boys. "Help me. Please?"

"Yeah come on, give him a chance!" Tink yelled. Rufio slowly nodded, glancing at Kairi.

"All right," he said warily. "We'll give you one chance. But if you ain't Pan in three days, we won't fight." He turned to Sora. "One more thing, your girl can't stay." Sora's eyes blazed as the Oblivion appeared in his right hand.

"You want another round?" Sora asked maliciously. Rufio eyed Sora's keyblade warily.

"No," he answered shakily. Sora smirked.

"Then Kairi stays," he warned. "Or else, you wouldn't have just me on your case." Rufio shifted uncomfortably at Sora's words.

"Fine," he said quickly, but he quickly pointed his finger at the two, "but no mushy stuff." Kairi nodded.

"Agreed," she replied icily. Rufio nodded and then flashed around to address his men.

"Lost boys!" he roared, "get that fat piece of slime in shape."

"Bangerang!" they yelled in reply before pulling Peter away. Those who were on Peter's side quickly went up to Sora and Kairi to introduce themselves.

"My name is Thud Butt," the overweight child said, extending his hand.

"I'm Pockets," the little boy said.

"Don't Ask," the sleek black haired kid wearing plaid tweed said.

"Ace," curly ginger hair added.

"Too Small," curly black hair said. Sora, Kairi, and Max smiled at them.

"I'm Sora," Sora said, introducing his party like the days of old. "This is Kairi, and that's Max." Kairi knelt down to the lost boys.

"It's nice to meet all of you," she said warmly. Too Small looked at her.

"Are you going to be our new mother Kairi?" he asked. Her eyes widened and she looked around a little.

"Your mother?" she choked out. "Why would I be your new mother?"

"Well," Don't Ask said, "Wendy was our last mother, and you're the first girl here since Wendy so…" Kairi sadly shook her head.

"No, I'm not going to be your new mother," she said. "We're really just here to get Peter's children back. Then we're leaving again." The boys' faces became downcast for a moment before they brightened up again.

"Oh well," Thud said. "My happy thought is my own mother anyway." He and the others walked away and Tink flew up to the trio.

"I think it would be best for Peter's memory if only the Lost Boys trained him," she said. "So what are you guys going to do?" Kairi answered before Sora or Max could say anything.

"Well," she said ticking each item off on her fingers, "Sora was instructed by Merlin to teach me in magic. Naminé needs to be taught how to fight, and Max also needs to learn how to fly." She paused and turned to her companions. "Anything else?" Sora and Max shook their heads.

"Don't think so," said Sora. Tink nodded before winging off.

"Good luck then," she called. Roxas and Naminé appeared in a flash, Naminé was holding the Island's Fire, its paopu keychain dangling from the hilt, and Roxas holding a silver keyblade with a golden guard that had a key that had a cutout of Sora's crown in it.

"I'll train Naminé," he announced, swinging the Kingdom Key in front of him. Sora and Kairi grinned.

"Why are we not surprised," Sora said.

"I don't know," Naminé replied playfully. Swiftly she grabbed Roxas' free hand and ran away with him in tow. Max ran after them.

"Hey wait up!" he called. "I can learn to fly later, I could use some practice right now!" Roxas looked behind him to see Max chasing after them. He sighed and turned to Naminé who was still leading him on.

"Looks like we don't get any 'alone' time Nam," he muttered. She sighed as she came to a stop, her blonde hair swaying.

"Oh well," she pouted, "at least we're together." Max ran up, panting.

"Man," he gasped, "you guys are fast." Roxas chuckled at him.

"Thanks," he said before turning to Naminé. "Okay, let's get to training." She nodded her head and raised Island's Fire.

"Right!" she exclaimed. "There's a big battle coming up, and I don't want to be left out." Max drew his sword from its sheath.

"Let's do it then," he said, facing Roxas. Roxas turned his head to Naminé while Max sized him up.

"Naminé," he instructed, "watch us for a few minutes, then we'll practice." Naminé nodded her head, eyes set. Roxas turned to Max, who nodded his head. Roxas began with a roar and a vertical slice at Max, who blocked it with the Defender. Roxas lifted his keyblade off of Max's sword and quickly tried a horizontal swipe from his left, Max leaping back. He charged Max and threw a diagonal slash down from the right. Max blocked it with his sword and aggressively thrust at Roxas' midriff, lunging forward. Roxas barely sidestepped it in time and, twirling around, hit Max's exposed back with his keyblade. Max grunted in pain and defeat. He turned to face Roxas.

"Okay," he said raising his sword, "score is one nil for you. Time for round two." Roxas grinned and nodded his head, getting himself into his fighting stance with the Kingdom Key behind his back.

"Now I'm going to get fancy with you," Roxas said as he began twirling his keyblade above his head. Max's eyes widened and he charged him down, throwing an uppercut. Roxas stopped twirling the Kingdom Key above his head with a smirk and threw it down at Max's raised blade. With a resounding clang the Kingdom Key glanced off the Defender and Max slipped past Roxas under his arm. He deftly sliced at Roxas' back as he ran past, his silver blade singing through the air before it made contact with the crimson tip of Island's Fire, inches from Roxas' back. Naminé huffed at Max and threw him backwards with her keyblade. With a cry she executed a horizontal swipe at Max's midriff. Max converted his momentum into a roll to avoid the strike upon his ribs. Staying crouched, he raised the flat of his sword to block Naminé's falling keyblade. Max strained slightly at the force Naminé was using to try and keep him hunkered down while he devised a strategy. While he held off Naminé's keyblade, Max slowly moved his left arm behind her legs without Naminé noticing. Once in position, Max thrust his left arm forwards, crashing it into the back of Naminé's kneecaps. She let out a startled cry as she fell to the ground, barely missing Max. He quickly got to his feet and placed his sword's tip over her neck, before howling in pain and falling to his knees as Roxas attacked his back with the Kingdom Key, again. Cringing Max raised his head as Roxas was helping Naminé up.

"Okay," Max croaked, "two nil for you, except you had help this time." Roxas looked at him and grinned, shrugging his shoulders. Naminé smiled at the two of them.

"Would you like the help this time Max?" she asked sincerely. Roxas raised his eyebrows as he thought of something to 'even' the odds.

"If it's going to be two on one," he said deviously, "I get to use both my keyblades." Max looked horrified at the idea.

"If you use both of them," he stated, "I won't be going to sleep tonight with only a few cuts and bruises, I'll be sleeping in pieces." Naminé placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a few giggles as she went to stand beside Max. Roxas sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine," he said. "I'll stick with the Kingdom Key, but you still won't win."

"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Max taunted.

"Your faith in your friends is yours," Roxas retaliated. The two sides raised their weapons, silently taunting each other for a moment, before flying straight at each other, Roxas blocking both attacks against him with the Kingdom Key and performing a back flip. Deftly, Roxas twitched his neck as he continually backed away under Max and Naminé's barrage, parrying and dodging attacks, never getting a chance to strike. Seeing an attack coming, he swiftly raised his keyblade to parry Naminé's downward slash and stopped backing up for a moment. In retaliation for the attack on his person he stepped forwards and slashed at Naminé's midriff, and Max saw his opportunity. As Roxas slashed, Max stepped in from the right side and whacked Roxas across the ribs with the flat of his blade; he didn't want to kill Roxas after all. His foe grunted in pain at the strike and lowered his weapon, wincing and rubbing his ribs from the attack.

"Okay," Roxas said slowly. He released his hold on the Kingdom Key and became an apparition again. "Two to one for me, but now," he suddenly smiled wickedly as he became formidable again, wielding both the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion in his hands, "we play by my rules." Naminé gulped as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Max?" she squeaked, glancing at him. She saw he was stealing a glance at her too and she continued. "We are screwed aren't we?" Max gulped as beads of sweat appeared upon his brow.

"Yep," he choked, nodding his head.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were standing on a wooden platform that held several scorch marks, patches of ice, and dripping beams. A panting Kairi was holding the Oathkeeper in front of her, and the Oblivion was resting at Sora's side as he was ticking off his fingers.

"Okay," he said, "we've done more fire, blizzard, water, and thunder. So most of the black magic's done, would you like to learn a white magic spell now?" He turned to Kairi and she looked at him, puzzled.

"White magic?" she asked. Sora nodded.

"Black magic is the fighting, destructive kind," he explained. "White is the protective, healing kind. Although, white magic does include the powerful 'Holy' spell, which Merlin used in the Radiant Garden." Kairi was astounded that such a powerful spell could be classed as white magic, yet she shook it off quickly.

"I guess cure," she replied after a pause. "That way I won't always have to rely on potions or others to heal me." Sora nodded slowly.

"A wise choice," he commented before his face grew grim. "I warn you though, the cure spell uses quite a lot of energy to use, and it's best to use a potion first if you have one." Kairi nodded her head, eyes set and determined.

"I understand," she said. An unexpected pause occurred between them as they shifted uncomfortably. "So," Kairi began, unsure of breaking the silence between them, "how exactly do I feel 'healing'?" Sora barked a laugh.

"I'm not entirely sure," he said hanging his head. "Too many possibilities in my mind. Laughter is the best medicine, so they say, so humour maybe?" Sora grabbed his keyblade and stared at it for a few moments. Kairi looked strangely at him as he raised it and placed it against his arm.

"Sora?" she asked hurriedly. "What are you-?" Her cerulean eyes grew wide in shock as Sora cut himself with the Oblivion, grunting in pain. He dismissed his keyblade and eyed Kairi.

"There," he said, somewhat shakily. "We have an injury, try to heal it by thinking of humour."

"Sora this isn't a very humourous situation!" Kairi gasped at him. Sora's eyes flashed a little.

"I had to," he said. "Now do it," he ordered in a deep voice, "think of something funny." Suddenly he started chuckling, "like those goofy yellow tennis shoes I used to wear." Kairi giggled as she remembered the huge yellow clown shoes he used to wear.

"Sora," she giggled, "those were clown shoes. Not tennis shoes." He shrugged his shoulders, smirking.

"Whatever," he laughed. Kairi attempted to suppress the giggle fit as she raised the Oathkeeper at Sora's cut forearm.

"Cure," she said.

Nothing happened.

"Guess it wasn't humour," Sora sighed. Kairi began to worry, Sora's cut was bleeding quite fiercely, and if she didn't heal it soon…

_No_, she thought, _I won't think about that_. Kairi's ears perked when Sora began to muter something.

"Love's healing embrace," he said, his voice barely audible. "Love's healing embrace…" Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. "Of course!" he cried aloud. Suddenly he began shaking his head in his hands, chuckling. "Why couldn't I figure out I loved you sooner Kairi?" he asked as he raised his head, eyes shining with tears of mirth. Kairi appeared flabbergasted.

"I, I don't know," Kairi stuttered. "Should I know?" Sora shook his hanged head slowly.

"Because I just realized that every time I cast cure I thought of you," he explained joyfully. "Don't you see? Love is what you need to feel to heal. Simply love." Kairi's eyes twinkled.

"Love to feel, love to heal?" she asked humourously. Sora raised his eyebrows.

"Now you're turning it into a riddle," he said weakly, due to his chuckling. "Now heal me." Kairi giggled and directed her keyblade at his arm again.

"Cure," she repeated. Flowing, green tendrils crept out of her keyblade and wrapped themselves around Sora's arm, closing the cut. Sora flexed his arm, pinching it where the cut had been before he noticed Kairi. She was swaggering on her feet, swaying from side to side, holding her head. Rushing to Kairi's side like a whirlwind, Sora caught her just as she fell. Kairi looked weakly into his eyes as he propped her head up while he lay her down. "You were right, the cure spell does take it out of you. How are you able to cast it without collapsing?" Sora smiled at her and took her hand.

"Lots, and lots of practice," he said. They sat in silence for a while as Kairi slowly regained her strength. As she stood up they heard a large group of people approaching. Quizzically, the duo peered and saw a few lost boys, Rufio, and Tinkerbell leading a shirtless Peter (who was covered in varying colours of paint) towards a large slingshot. Looking down, Sora saw a large vat of multi-coloured liquid surrounded by the rest of the boys, who were all holding up signs with various words, not entirely spelled correctly.

"Just think happy thoughts," they called. Kairi raised her eyebrows as she turned to Sora.

"They're teaching him how to fly," she said. Sora nodded, watching silently.

"Just one happy thought Peter," Tink explained. "Just one happy thought will make you fly."

"I got it!" Peter exclaimed happily, sitting in the slingshot as Rufio raised his sword to cut the chord. "Not being in this slingshot, would make me very-" Rufio cut the rope "-happy!" Peter rapidly arched off through the sky.

"He's going up, he's going up," one lost boy commented. Sora's eyes grew as he saw Peter start to fall.

"Let's catch him," he said, rising into the air and shooting after Peter.

"Right," Kairi said, following suit. Peter continued to fall towards the vat, still screaming the end of the word 'happy'.

"He's coming down!" Thud yelled. Sora and Kairi raced faster towards the falling Peter.

"Wait!" Too Small cried, pointing. "They're going to catch him." Sora and Kairi stopped a few feet above the multi-coloured vat of what could be pudding, and prepared to catch Peter. He fell straight into their outstretched arms, but his momentum was enough to keep him going or should we say, take both of them with him into the muck. The lost boys and Tinkerbell howled in laughter as the three resurfaced, the teenage duo flying out like bullets before landing back on the platform they had previously occupied.

"I so need a shower," Kairi moaned while attempting to get blue whatever-it-was off of her face. Miraculously her skirt and breastplate again showed no signs of the dip she had just taken, the heart and crown in the centre of the white breastplate gleaming in the sunlight.

"Make that we so need showers," Sora said, wiping some green gunk out of his eyes and spiky hair, before he moaned. "And I'm going to need to gel my hair again today." Kairi giggled as she approached Sora.

"Why would you need to do that?" she asked. "Isn't it naturally spiky?" Sora chuckled quietly.

"No," he answered. "I gel it every morning, and how come your clothes aren't dirty and mine are covered in this gunk?" Kairi smirked at him.

"Because the fairies made mine differently, but even that doesn't stop the stuff from squeezing in underneath them, and don't change the subject." She suddenly grabbed his arm and pressed a button on her communicator, beaming them straight to the _Highwind_'s cabin. Kairi quickly gave Sora a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I would actually like to see what you look like without gel in your hair," she commented before slinking off into her own room, rainbow footprints upon the floor. She licked her lips after the door closed and she began undressing.

_That stuff tastes…_ she thought as she stepped into her bathroom, _good._

* * *

Later that night Peter was walking on the ground in the camp, rubbing his aching shoulders when his nose smelled a delicious feast cooking beneath him.

"Oh yeah," he moaned in pleasure. Sora, Kairi, the Nobodies, and Max came up behind him from the shadows. Roxas was holding only the Oathkeeper while Naminé held the Island's Fire. Roxas had only a few cuts upon him, while Max and Naminé looked as if they had been run over by a Living Bone and hurriedly patched up. Sora's long brown hair was parted in front of his face, flowing over his cheeks instead of being spiked up as usual. Kairi was on his arm, giggling madly.

"Okay Sora," she gasped. "You can keep your hair spiky after tonight, you look better that way." Sora looked affronted at her.

"You don't like my new hairstyle?" he asked incredulously. Roxas placed his hands on his hips and glared at Sora, despite his grin.

"If your Nobody and girlfriend tell you to put your hair back to the way it was," he scoffed, "then do it! You're embarrassing us, or at least me." Everyone assembled laughed before the company began sniffing the air, dreamy looks appearing on their faces. "C'mon," Roxas said gleefully to Naminé, "as long as we keep our keyblades out, we'll finally be able to eat real food!" Naminé's face brightened as she hurried off after Roxas. Below them, the lost boys were setting a long table with steaming pots and pans, delicious scents wafting up from them. Peter took a seat in the middle of the table next to Pockets, while the rest of the group sat at the end, Naminé and Roxas on one side, Max, Sora, and Kairi on the other. Peter gazed hungrily at a roast pan that past by his face and the group all hurriedly grabbed their forks and knives. Ginger-haired Ace looked skeptically at them.

"We don't use those," he told them. The party looked strangely at him.

"Why do you have them?" Peter asked. Ace shrugged his shoulders as Thud came up behind him.

"We have them so we don't have to use them," Ace explained, sitting on the bench. Thud sat down next to him and the bench rose, sending half a dozen lost boys careening into him.

"Don't crowd me!" he yelled. Kairi turned to Sora as the lost boys began yelling at Thud.

"They may not use them," she said. "But for propriety's sake I still will." Sora nodded.

"I know I will too," he said. Thud, Ace, and Don't Ask looked at Kairi.

"You really are a princess," Thud said. Kairi shrugged her shoulders.

"Even though I am I haven't lived as a princess for the last eight years, and I can't remember how I lived before then," she explained. Rufio then appeared and sat down next to Thud. He glanced around and all the lost boys looked expectantly at him. Rufio bowed his head, everyone else following suit.

"Everybody say grace," he commanded.

"Bless this oh Lord…" Peter started, his companions following silently.

"GRACE!" the lost boys roared, before diving straight at the containers. Sora, Kairi, Naminé, and Max were appalled, while Roxas simply chuckled to himself.

"What the-!" they gasped quietly. Suddenly the group noticed something about the feast.

There. Was. No. Food.

"What the-!" Roxas steamed, disappointed and fuming. "If I knew this was the reception I'd get, I would have beamed back into Sora's head and started cooking my own supper!" He dismissed the Oathkeeper he was holding onto, becoming a specter again, and crossed his arms, fuming. Naminé followed with a similar pose, eyes blazing, chin pouting. Tinkerbell looked at Peter from the lamp she was in.

"Eat," she said. Peter looked incredulously at her.

"What's the deal?" he asked. "Where's the real food?"

"If you can't imagine yourself being Peter Pan you won't be Peter Pan," Tink replied. "Now eat up." A light bulb suddenly clicked on in Max's head.

"That's it," he muttered. "We can't eat until Peter can. It would make sense." Sora, and Kairi nodded.

"It does make sense," she replied. Naminé remained fuming in her seat as her stomach growled.

"How long will that take then?" she asked savagely. Peter continued his argument with Tink.

"Eat what? There's nothing here," he retorted. "Gandhi ate more than this."

"Don't you remember?" Tink asked. "This used to be your favourite game."

"Forget the games," Peter said. "I want real food. I want steak, I want some eggs, I want a cup of coffee-," Rufio cut him off before Peter could finish his wish list.

"You can't!" he said. "Eat your heart out you crinkled, wrinkled fat-bag!" Peter gazed angrily at the teen in front of him.

"You're a very ill-mannered young-,"

"You're a slug-eating worm," Rufio spat, cutting Peter off. Sora raised his eyebrows.

"An insult contest," he whispered before grinning. "I've got a good one." Kairi looked at him questioningly before her attention was brought back to Rufio and Peter's spat.

"…Paunchy, sag-bottomed puke pot!" Rufio finished. He was greeted with a bangerang cheer from the lost boys.

"You are a very poor role-model for these kids. Do you know that?" Peter responded. The boys made sounds of a bomb whistling to the ground and making a splat instead of an explosion. "I bet you don't have a fourth grade reading level," Peter continued.

"Hemorrhoidal suck-navel," Rufio spat.

"Well maybe a fifth grade reading level," consolidated Peter. The lost boys repeated their bomb sound as Sora shook his head.

"Boil-dripping, beef-fart sniffing, bubble-butt," insulted Rufio, whose insult was once again met by a bangerang. "You are a fart factory," he continued, "slug-slimed sack of rat guts and cat vomit, cheesy scab-picked, pimple-squeezing finger bandage. A week-old maggot burger with everything on it, and flies on the side!" The lost boys howled in disgust, and the party scrunched up their faces, apart from Roxas. He was howling in laughter. It had finally seemed though, that Peter had had enough taunting and he viciously stood up, glaring at his adolescent adversary.

"Substitute chemistry teacher," he said. Sora, Kairi, and Max burst out a chuckle while the lost boys stood silent.

"Mung tongue," he retorted, lacking a little of the flare his previous insults had.

"Math tutor," Peter retaliated. His group chuckled a little more while the boys still watched silently, their heads flicking between Peter and Rufio like a tennis rally.

"Pinhead," Rufio said, his edge gone.

"Prison barber."

"Mother lover."

"Near-sighted gynecologist," answered Peter. Sora and co. chuckled at Peter's insult, and the insinuation.

"In your face camel-cake," Rufio countered, not a clue as to what a gynecologist was and hoping to regain his momentum.

"In your rear cow-derriere," replied Peter.

"Lying, crying, spying, frying ultra-pig!" Rufio answered.

"You lewd, crude, rude, bag-of-prechewed-food dude," Peter said quickly.

"Bangerang Peter!" Thud yelled, extending his fist. Rufio was now shaky as his opponent was winning.

"You," he tried again, weakly, desperately, and fruitlessly. "You man! Stupid, stupid man!" Naminé knelt her head towards Roxas, who was now grinning madly.

"Rufio's lost it," she giggled.

"Rufio, if I'm a maggot burger why don't you just eat me!?" Peter yelled. "You two-toned, zebra-headed, slime-coated, pimple-farmin', paramecium-brain, munching on your own mucus, suffering from Peter Pan envy!" The lost boys were, well, lost.

"What's a paramecium-brain?" Don't Ask asked.

"I'll tell you what a paramecium is," Peter growled, pointing at Rufio, "that's a paramecium! It's a one-celled critter with no brain that can't fly! Don't mess with me man, I'm a lawyer!" Peter sat back down, triumphant. Sora turned to Kairi dismally.

"Peter's got my insult beat," he said. Kairi looked at him questioningly.

"What was it?" she laughed. Sora smiled and took on a fake French accent.

"I don't want to talk to you no more you, empty-headed animal food trough whopper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!" Roxas smirked and spoke up in an English accent.

"Is there someone else we can talk to?" he asked. Sora looked irritably at his Nobody.

"No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time-uh!" he answered, ending with a pronounced sniff. His whole group howled with laughter at what he had just said, stopping suddenly when they saw food in front of them. Sora glanced at Peter, whose face was shocked as he stared at the spoon he was holding. It had a multi-coloured paste on it; the same paste that was now plastered on Rufio's face. Roxas eyed the table hungrily. There were multi-coloured cakes, cookies, and pastries, roast-beast, blocks of cheese with lost boys' faces on them, fruit and vegetable platters, and dozens of any other food imaginable, none of them saw Rufio slink away though.

"Sweet!" Roxas exclaimed, pulling the Kingdom Key out and sitting on it. "Food!" Instantaneously, Naminé had followed his example and began piling copious amounts of food on her plate. Quickly the party ignored those around them as they began to eat and drink.

"Okay," Kairi relented, biting into what appeared to be a turkey leg, "I won't use cutlery for this." Suddenly she spied the pudding. "Sora?" she asked, nudging him with her elbow. He turned to look at her, his brown hair swaying, a forkful of potatoes halfway to his mouth. Kairi continued, pointing at the pudding. "Isn't that the same stuff we fell into earlier?" Sora looked in the direction she was pointing, and nodded when he saw it.

"It's edible?" he asked.

"Apparently so," Kairi answered. "I thought it tasted good when I licked my lips earlier." Suddenly the whole table around them erupted into a spontaneous food fight, the rainbow mish-mash flying in all directions, caking even Tinkerbell.

Sora brought his arm up to his lips and began licking the stuff off, eyes widening suddenly as he realized how good it was. He felt a finger scrape across his cheek and he turned around to see Kairi with her finger in her mouth, eyes glinting mischievously. Sora ran a finger under her chin, and brought back to his mouth, grinning. But before they could do anything 'mushy', as Rufio would call it, they heard Naminé shriek in delight. Turning their heads they saw their Nobodies with their faces together, licking each other's cheeks. Sora and Kairi turned to each other again, shocked.

"They stole our idea!" Kairi said, playfully outraged. Just then Peter leapt up onto the table to throw some of the pudding, only to be pelted by the food the lost boys were throwing. Laughing, he could barely hear Rufio's barely audible taunt.

"Hey Pan the man," he said, holding a coconut, "catch this!" Rufio chucked the coconut at Peter like a professional pitcher.

"Peter watch out!" someone yelled, tossing him a sword. Surprisingly Peter caught it by the hilt. As the coconut careened towards him, Peter spun around, cleaving the coconut cleanly in half when he finished his three-sixty. As one half twirled on the table Peter gazed at the sword he was holding, and in the silence, a cock crowed. Startled at his feat, Peter suddenly dropped his sword, eyes wide.

"Bangerang," Thud whispered.

* * *

The next afternoon Sora and Kairi were again practicing their magic, Sora's hair gratefully spiky once more, this time on the ground above where they had the feast the night before. Tinkerbell told them when they had arrived late in the morning that the lost boys had taken Peter into town in an attempt to get him to crow. Kairi was learning and increasing in power at an alarming rate, and was now able to cast level two black magic in all elemental areas.

"Kairi," Sora began after she executed a perfect reflect spell, "I've been thinking." Kairi lowered her keyblade and turned, giving him a questioning glance.

"What about?" Sora shifted his head to look at her.

"You're a princess of heart," he began slowly, unsure of his words. "So your heart is full of light. It may be possible for you to tap into it and use that light, like Riku can use the power of darkness." Kairi's eyes widened in understanding.

"To unlock my true potential?" she asked uncertainly. Sora nodded slowly. Kairi closed her eyes and began searching her inner self. Sora looked at her, praying that it may be possible. He spied the Oathkeeper with interest. It was starting to glow with a brilliantly pure, white light. Wind was whipping through Kairi's hair as she struggled to grasp at the light within her. Her eyes flared open suddenly, light radiating from them for a moment.

"Light!" she cried. A ray of white light was expelled from the Oathkeeper's tip, brightening the immediate area. Sora nearly had to shield his eyes it was so bright. He let out a laugh of jubilation as Kairi did.

"You did it Kairi!" he exclaimed as she grinned at him, pearly white teeth dazzling him. "I can't even do that," Sora said quietly to himself in awe. Kairi giggled as she formed a ball of light in her palm, letting it hover an inch off her skin.

"It's mine now," she said, arching it through the air from one hand to the other with her mind. "To use as I will." She telekinetically lifted it over her head, and slowly waved her right hand. The ball of light broke into five streams that circled around the two of them. Sora and Kairi were giggling as they became encircled by Kairi's light, letting it flash round and round until they leapt into the sky, forming a sphere again. Kairi grinned and snapped her fingers, and the light dissipated into a mist, that spread across the camp and rained down as tiny twinkling stars, finally disappearing as they reached the ground.

Max walked up, his eyes filled with wonder as the last of the stars dissipated into the ground. He was holding his sword lightly in his right hand and there was a bloodstained white cloth wrapped over his left forearm. Sora and Kairi turned as he approached.

"What was that?" Max asked, pointing at the ground where a star had fallen. Kairi grinned at him as she formed another sphere in her palm.

"My light," she answered, allowing Max to look into it for a moment before closing her hand on the light. Max shook his head to try and get the bright circle that was burning his vision to go away. Sora approached him and tugged a little on the cloth on Max's arm.

"Roxas training you two hard?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Max nodded quickly and Sora sighed. "I can't believe he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'mercy'."

"Oh he does," Max interjected. "It's just that he only shows Naminé mercy, and not me." The trio laughed a little and Sora healed Max of the wound his Nobody gave him.

_Oh come on,_ Sora heard in his head._I didn't go that hard on them._ Sora shook his head to himself.

_Roxas,_ he thought telepathically, _Max is a friend. Friends don't kill each other._ Roxas' reply came back slowly.

_Can't I go just… shy of killing them?_

_No!_ Sora said firmly.

_What about-_

_No!_ Sora repeated. Kairi looked at him with a funny look.

"Were you telling Roxas not to kill our friends just now?" she asked. Sora sighed and looked at her.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "But he keeps squirming and trying to find loopholes." The trio laughed weakly again before Sora turned back to Max. "So," he began, "flying lessons, right?" Max nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Well since we're in the neighborhood," he began, rubbing the back of his head. "I thought I might give it a shot." Sora chuckled and sprinkled some of the pixie dust from his box onto Max. Max coughed as he inhaled a little bit of the golden dust. He then looked at the two humans in front of him, who were starting to hover.

"So, how exactly do you fly?" Sora and Kairi looked at each other, grinning. They both turned back to Max.

"Think a happy thought," Kairi said simply. Max closed his eyes and began thinking of what to think about. Many things made him happy. Working with his hands on something mechanical, playing video games, hanging out with buddies. He opened his eyes again and looked at his feet.

They were still on the ground.

Max gave a nervous chuckle as he looked back up at the two floating teens. "Um, I don't think it's working," he said during his chuckle. The other two just smirked and their blue eyes glinted at him.

"Think of Roxanne," Sora said while glancing at Kairi, a warm smile on his face. Max didn't even need to close his eyes to imagine her. He had plastered her face on a blank wall in his mind so many times that her image was graven into him. Max sighed softly as he thought of her, only to gasp when he noticed his feet were no longer firm on terra firma. He looked back at Sora and Kairi, stunned. They began laughing at his facial expression before regaining their dignity.

"Now just will yourself to move Max," Kairi explained, paraphrasing the explanation Sora had given her several days ago. "And you will. Think about going up, and you will go up, or in any other direction you choose." Max nodded and began to ascend in a wide helix, eventually shrinking the diameter of the circle until he was rocketing straight upwards. Max let out a laugh of exhilaration as he descended to Sora and Kairi's level.

"Now I know why you guys like flying so much," he said breathlessly. Suddenly two keyblades appeared in hands of their owners as they glanced at each other, smirking. Max looked uneasily at the keyblade bearing teens in front him, his hand straying to the hilt of his sheathed sword. Before they could begin to teach Max 'Air Combat 101', they heard something plop on the ground beneath them.

It was Peter, and they briefly heard him mutter, "Got to fly," in a determined voice. Quickly the trio descended, as Peter climbed a pile of rocks. "One great big happy thought," Peter said, before looking down and dropping a couple of rocks. "Less is more," he decided uneasily. Peter threw himself over the edge yelling, "I can!" Sora winced when Peter landed face first on the dirt. The three of them walked up to Peter as he stood up. Peter looked up and nodded at them as they approached. "Oh, hey Sora, Kairi, Max."

"Trying to fly Peter?" Kairi asked sympathetically before a white leather ball hurtled out of the sky, heading straight for Peter's head.

"Watch out!" Sora yelled as Max ran forward and grabbed the ball, inches away from contact. Sora, Kairi, and Max looked at in inquisitively; they had never seen anything like it before, yet the white made it almost resemble Kairi's ball of light. Max looked back up from the strange ball and tossed it at Peter, who caught it in his hand.

"What is it?" Max asked. Peter raised his eyebrows at the three of them.

"You've never seen a baseball before?" he asked. The three teens in front of him shook their heads. Peter shrugged before explaining. "Baseball is a sport we play in America. It is played on a diamond shaped field of shale and a large swath of grass. The shale is called the infield, and the grass the outfield. There are three bases around the diamond and home plate at the base. A person stands with the ball on a mound in the center of the diamond and pitches it at another team's player at home plate who then tries to hit the ball with a bat. If he does, or if the pitcher throws four pitches that the batter has no chance of hitting, the batter has to run to first base. If they hit the ball, the team in the field has to try and catch it, or at least get the ball to first base before the runner. If the ball was caught outright, the runner is out, if not, the ball needs to get to the base first. If your team gets three outs, the teams switch positions. If the batter got a walk, he gets first base free. The runner then has to try and get around the rest of the diamond and back to home plate. If they succeed, their team gets a run, and if the batter hits the ball far enough to get back to home plate before the ball can reach them, it is called a home run. Because they ran from home plate, back to home plate. If they completely hit the ball out of the park, it is an automatic home run." As he was talking, Peter had sat himself down on some rocks near a pool of water, with Sora, Kairi, and Max sitting down in front of him. "My son Jack hit this ball," he continued, "from a baseball diamond over in the pirate town. He could never hit a curveball, but he sure surprised me on this one, he got a home run." Peter tossed the ball up in his hand and caught it again, his shadow reflecting the toss. Without warning, Peter's shadow tossed the ball up in the air again. The four of them looked at the shadow, which jerked with his head in a direction and flew off.

"I think it wants us to follow it," Max said, getting up. Peter's shadow led them to a tree with vines over the bottom. It motioned for Peter to remove the vines to reveal a circular door with names carved into it.

"Toodles," Peter said, running his fingers over the names. "Wendy, John, Michael, Peter." He pushed the door and it opened, showing a slide to get down into the tree. The four of them slid down the chute to enter a dismal, dark room. The room was dusty and appeared to have been unused for a long time. Peter stood up and hit his head on the roof.

"Careful Peter," a voice said with a chuckle. "You're a lot taller than you used to be." The company peered in the direction of the voice to see Tinkerbell wearing a beautiful pearly silver dress. "Like my dress?" she asked, ruffling it a little. Sora could almost feel his cheeks growing red. If he said yes, Kairi might take offence and think he was flirting with another. If he said no, he would offend Tink.

_Ah,_ Roxas said to him, hearing his thoughts. _The decisions of the keyblade master. Ever so challenging._

_Shut up Roxas,_ Sora muted, _and aren't you supposed to be training with Naminé?_ Roxas chuckled at him.

_Who's to say we aren't Sora?_ Before Sora could respond to Roxas Peter saved him from responding to Tinkerbell's question.

"You look beautiful," Peter said in awe. Tink blushed and bashfully ruffled her dress. "What's the occasion?"

"You are," Tink answered. "It's a welcome home party."

"Home?" Kairi asked, looking around at the broken room. "This was Peter's home?"

"What happened to make this place look like," Max asked, "well, like this?"

"Hook," Tink replied. "He burned it when Peter didn't come back." While she spoke, Peter began looking around the room, stopping at a barrel where he picked up a thimble.

"Kiss," he said quietly. "Wendy. I remember. This is Wendy's house, Noodles and Nibbs built it for her." Peter stood up and pointed at a rocking chair behind Sora. "Wendy used to sit in that chair," he announced.

"Yes," Tink said in a shallow breath.

"But it wasn't there," Peter continued, gesturing with his hands, "it was here. And we all used to sit around here and listen while she'd darn socks and tell us stories. Tink," Peter said, standing up again and striding across the room. "You're apartment was right, here."

"Yes," Tink repeated. Sora was amazed at just how much Peter remembered now.

"Little Michael," Peter said, not stopping, "had his beddy basket right here. John…" Peter began looking around, muttering John's name. His hand suddenly touched an object under a cloth and he pulled out a teddy bear. "Taddy," Peter said quietly, kissing the bear's forehead. "My Taddy. Mother used to put him in the pram to keep me company." His face glowed in sudden remembrance. "I remember my mother."

Peter went on to tell them why and how he came to Neverland, eventually up to where he saw thirteen-year-old Moira asleep in her bed.

"Now I know why it's so hard for you to find a happy thought Peter," Tink said sympathetically. "So many sad memories." Peter kissed Taddy's forehead again.

"Bye Taddy," he said, then his eyes grew wide. "Not Taddy," he said in realization, "Daddy. Daddy!" His eyes glazed over as he remembered something from his past. "I know now why I left Neverland, I know why I grew up. I wanted to be a father. My Jack," he said, his eyes regaining focus. "My happy thought." Peter began laughing as he noticed that he was floating several feet above the ground. He accidentally dropped Taddy. "I lost it," he declared. Peter began screaming as he hurtled towards the ground.

"Just hold that happy thought Peter!" Tink yelled. Peter's face screwed up in concentration and he stopped, his heels nearly on the dirt. Peter's face beamed in triumph and he flew upwards. Sora felt a grin spread wide on his cheeks.

"That's the Peter I know," he said before seeing the stunned looks on Max and Kairi's faces. Sora waved with his hand at the two. "C'mon!" he yelled. "Let's fly with the legend!" Kairi and Max suddenly sprang back and nodded at Sora, rising with him. The trio rose through the tree's canopy and marked Peter against the sky. Flying like the wind they soared straight at Peter, who was now somehow wearing his green tights, and flanked him. Peter turned to Sora as he flew on his back.

"Sora!" he called in sudden recognition. "I remember you now! How are Donald and Goofy doing?" Sora chuckled at Peter before answering.

"They're doing just fine," he said. "Right now they're on a mission with the King. Oh, just in case you forgot, this is Goofy's son Max," Sora motioned with his arm at the figure in the center rear. He then waved his arm at Kairi, who was on Peter's left. "And you may or may not remember Kairi." Peter nodded at Kairi and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry for not staying to help rescue you Kairi," Peter apologized. "But I was a little concentrated on saving Wendy." Kairi giggled at him as they flew through the Lost Boys camp, showing off.

"Don't worry about it," Kairi said. "I'm fine now." The foursome flew into the skateboard basketball place where the gang had kept Rufio from hurting Peter. A crowd of the lost boys had assembled there, following the flying figures. The crowd suddenly parted as Rufio appeared, carrying a bronze sword with a coconut guard. The teen stood facing Peter for a moment, before dropping to his knees holding the sword of Pan in front of him.

"You are the Pan," Rufio acknowledged weakly. Peter stepped forward and took his sword from Rufio. He drew a line in the dirt and every lost boy crossed to Peter's side, leaving Rufio alone as he got to his feet. "You can fly," the boy began in admiration, "you can fight, and you can-" Peter suddenly crowed like a rooster, "-crow." The lost boys, Rufio, and Peter began celebrating as Roxas and Naminé walked in to see what all the commotion was about. Seeing the scene, Roxas grinned and called out to the crowd.

"Prepare for battle boys," Roxas announced waving the Kingdom Key in front of him, "tomorrow we march on Hook!" Peter, Rufio, and the lost boys all shouted out in one loud, booming voice.

"No more Hook!" Sora and party nodded their heads.

"We'll be ready," Sora declared as Roxas and Naminé became mists. As one, he, Kairi, and Max beamed back up to the ship. Before they could go separate ways Sora grabbed Kairi by the arm and spun her around as Max walked to the simulator.

"Sora, what?" she asked playfully, not expecting it or what Sora was about to say.

"You mentioned earlier that you'd like to be a mom someday Kairi," Sora began. Kairi froze, and nodded her head nervously.

"Yes," she said shakily. Sora smiled comfortingly at her, knowing what she was probably thinking, yet he wasn't thinking of the same thing. He didn't want to do that anytime soon.

"I'd like to be a dad eventually too," he said quietly before chuckling at Kairi's still nervous face. "And by eventually," he added, "I mean in a time far longer than nine months." Kairi finally smiled warmly at Sora, seeing him plain. She brought her mouth towards Sora's and the kissed briefly.

"You were scaring me for a moment Sora," she said. "But then," she added playfully, "I suppose a lazy bum would be too lazy to do it right now." Sora chuckled at the nickname she had given him.

"Don't worry," he said quietly, kissing her again. "I don't want to unless my angel is ready." Kairi cocked her head at him.

"Angel?" she asked, a halo of light forming over her head. Sora laughed at her antics.

"Well I can't call you 'princess' can I?"

* * *

_Okay, I'm sorry for the wait, but as I said last chapter, updates would be farer between so I can build up a stock of chapters. However, I haven't written chapter XIII yet because of school, camp, cadets, and starting a Guild Wars account. PLUS, I have a little favour I need to ask of all of you, even though it requires a bit of a spoiler._

_When I take the trio to Atlantica, I am going to have them participate in a concert. Sora, Kairi, and Max will each sing one song. I already have songs picked for Kairi and Max, yet I am stuck between three for Sora. The ones I have picked are ACDC's TNT, Bon Jovi's Bad Medicine, or Rockapella Nylons' The Shoop Shoop Song. You may vote for any of the three or submit to me a different song. This way you can have your own say in the story, even if it is just a song._

_Please review and cast your votes!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	13. Rescuing the Children

_Thank you reviewers and readers. This chapter is going to be shorter than the others, but remember I still need votes and songs. Due to a stroke of brilliance from __**Broken Angel 01**__ and watching Family Guy, I'm going to add Roxas and Naminé to the concert in Atlantica. Don't panic, I already have a song chosen for them to sing. Yes, them. It's going to be a duet, and the song is from a musical that some of you have hopefully seen. And I give thanks to __**chm01**__ whose story element I put in._

_On a side note about summer for all who care, I am not leaving for seven weeks as a staff cadet; I am leaving for three weeks as a course cadet for Space Camp in St. Jean Québec! So you can expect a July and mid-late August full of updates._

_Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Kingdom Hearts, and I don't own Peter Pan._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XIII: Rescuing the Children

Sora awoke early the next morning. Long before the sun had risen in the world below them. Although he hated to admit it as he rose from his brilliantly flame-patterned sheets, he was nervous. He had realized a long time ago that he always became nervous when he knew a large battle was nearing, he still wasn't completely comfortable with putting his life on the line despite the large amount of time he had spent fighting and training. Today however, he was far more anxious than usual. Maybe the fact that he now had finally told Kairi how he felt and he was anticipating a bright future with her at his side was making him even more uncomfortable with risking his neck, despite the noble reasons for doing so. Sora donned a t-shirt and blue housecoat and left his room as quietly as his 'whooshing' door would allow and began wandering the ship. He needed something to do with his hands, something to calm him down, to soothe his nerves. He passed by the kitchens and remembered that he had put a frozen chicken in the refrigerator to thaw on the first day when he and Kairi had come up to the ship for showers. Turning to face the kitchen, one thought went through his mind.

_Why not?_

* * *

Kairi stirred in her slumber underneath the rose coloured blankets the fairies had made for her bed. She though she could smell something in her dream, something like stuffing. Her eyes snapped open as she woke up, and she yawned while she stretched, closing her eyes again. She sniffed once and her blue eyes snapped open again.

She wasn't imagining the smell. Grabbing a pink housecoat of her own, she placed it over the white tank top she was wearing and left her room, following the smell. The fragrances of the flowers in the hallway couldn't mask the aroma coming from the kitchen. Peering in through the doorway Kairi beheld a sight she never thought she would see this early in the morning.

Sora was inside the kitchen wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of black flannel boxers, both of which were covered in the front by his white apron. A blue housecoat lying abandoned on the table. He was busying himself with a bowl of something on the counter, and didn't appear to have noticed her yet. Taking a stride, Kairi stepped into the kitchen, her bare foot making a soft slapping sound on the maple floor. Sora turned and saw her walking towards him slowly, his face showing a look of surprise.

"Morning Kai," he said, turning his back on the bowl and facing Kairi. She smiled at him but looked inquisitively behind him.

"What are you doing so early in the morning Sora?" she asked, trying to sneak a peak at the bowl he was hiding. Sora sighed and made way for her to take a look. Inside of the bowl were small pieces of bread, some onion, and seasonings. Kairi looked up at him. "Stuffing?" Sora nodded slowly and Kairi began giggling at him. "Why are you making stuffing at six in the morning Sora?" Sora looked around anxiously.

"Promise you won't laugh," he pleaded hurriedly. Kairi kept giggling at him.

"Okay," she said, "I promise." Sora sighed and began stirring a little milk into the bowl.

"It's just something I do," he said after a pause. "Whenever I know there's a battle coming, and I have the time, I end up getting nervous and I just need something to do with my hands. Something to take my mind off of the chance of death, something creative instead of destructive, something…" Kairi suddenly placed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Something you can put your heart into?" she asked quietly. Sora nodded as they gazed into each other's eyes. They broke their gaze as they slowly fell into the other's arms. Sora rubbed his cheek into Kairi's silky red hair quietly appreciating her presence and smelling her sickly sweet perfume. Silently they stood in that hug for what seemed like hours until Sora broke the silence.

"Thanks for understanding Kairi," he said. Kairi nodded as she rubbed his back.

"No problem Sora." Kairi opened her eyes again and looked back into the bowl, still rubbing Sora's back. "Sora," she asked, "where's the rhubarb?" Sora's head rose suddenly and they stopped caressing each other.

"Rhubarb?" he questioned, pulling back. Kairi nodded at him.

"Yeah rhubarb," she repeated, going to the aprons by the spice rack and grabbing one. "What's a stuffing without rhubarb?" she asked rhetorically.

"A good one," Sora chuckled sarcastically. Kairi grimaced at him.

"If it weren't for your sarcasm," she advised, "you could make a good chef." Her remark was only in passing, but it stuck in Sora's mindset.

_A keyblade master_, he thought, _becoming a chef_. Kairi looked at him and seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Why not?" they both said at the same time. Suddenly the same idea was forming in each of their minds.

"A restaurant," Sora proposed, taking Kairi's hand in his.

"You'd be head chef," Kairi continued.

"You could handle the finances," Sora said.

"It could be family run."

"We could get help starting from Tifa, she runs a bar."

"Our parents might help us with a loan."

"I could get recipes from all the worlds we visit."

"And we could teach whatever kids we have of the joy of cooking," Kairi said, smiling at her love.

"And all of our friends would come and eat," Sora said, "and we'd all sit around a special table and remember our adventures together."

"And it would be perfect," they both said in unison, drawing close and kissing briefly before turning back to the stuffing. While Kairi worked on said stuffing, Sora fetched the bird from the fridge and placed it on a cutting board. Kairi looked at the chicken as Sora handled it.

"Is it thawed?" she asked. Sora smiled at her and nodded his head. Kairi grinned and grabbed a handful of the stuffing and began loosely packing it into the cavity when a voice spoke behind them.

"What is going on?" the voice said. The two teens whipped around to see Max standing in the doorway, a hand to his tired head. They smiled sheepishly at Max and turned back around to the chicken.

"We're making a victory roast for today," Sora said, piling more stuffing in. Max shook his head tiredly as he approached the two.

"So you guys are making a roast chicken," he recapped, "at a quarter after six in the morning, in your underwear." Kairi froze and looked herself over. Indeed, she was wearing only an undershirt and lower undergarments, the housecoat that had previously covered them lying abandoned next to Sora's, yet she hadn't seemed to notice because of the apron she had put on. Kairi could feel her face growing hot and couldn't decide whether to stay facing Max, leaving her crimson face wide open, or turn her back on him and the implications that now had. Her resolve suddenly appearing, she stayed facing Max, her ruby red face defying him while Sora faced the chicken, a blush rampant on his cheeks.

_How could I be so stupid?_ Kairi chastised. Max continued his teasing, encouraged rather than swayed by their coyness.

"Anything happen last night?" he asked with a smirk. Sora turned around to face him again while Kairi glared him down, the red still emblazoned across their faces.

"Nothing happened!" they both shouted at him. "We didn't do anything!" Max kept his smirk on his face and his last remark came as a drawl while he left the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure. _Nothing_." Kairi sighed exasperatedly and turned back to the bird, fuming. Sora was just as frustrated and accidentally stabbed the bird with the baster, before quickly checking to see if he did any damage. Kairi giggled slightly at him, praying that the red was gone from her cheeks and Sora turned his head back to her, and smiled. They both knew that nothing had happened the previous night, and nothing was going to happen today, and nothing was going to happen for a long while.

And that was all that mattered.

* * *

It was now in the late morning and Sora, Kairi, and Max had come down from the Highwind to participate in the final battle against Hook. Sora noticed with a pang earlier when he had changed back into his black adventuring outfit that it felt rather grungy and unclean and resolved that they should stop by the Radiant Garden for a couple of days for Merlin to teach him and Kairi some domestic use magic, like cleaning or cooking spells. As soon as they appeared, Roxas and Naminé arrived from their heads in a brilliant flash of light, wielding keyblades. Naminé was wielding the Island's Fire as usual, yet Roxas was carrying two different keyblades, both of them a foot longer than any other keyblade. One was almost completely silver with a fleur de lis near the tip and what appeared to be a lion's head as the point and keychain. The other had purple sides to its hilt and a red handle. Two black spikes protruded from where the hilt met the blade at an angle. The keyblade's blade itself truly looked like a key, with small trapezoids of metal missing from its sides, although the tip was slightly round. Around the base of the blade were wrapped several bandages and the keychain was of a wolf's head. Sora looked inquiringly at his Nobody and folded his arms.

"Roxas," he asked, "why are you wielding the Sleeping Lion and Fenrir?" Roxas turned to him.

"Well, as you know," he explained. "I normally wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion, however, Kairi and you also wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion. This way, we don't get confused as to whose keyblade is whose." Naminé smiled at him as Sora mulled it over.

"Nice explanation," she said. Suddenly Peter walked came up to them wearing green with Rufio by his side.

"You guys ready?" he asked. The five teenagers made expressions in the affirmative.

"Yep," Sora said. "And everyone is stocked up on Hi-potions." Rufio looked inquiringly at him.

"I thought you guys were good?" he asked.

"We are," Kairi explained. "The potions aren't for us; they're for the pirates we fight." Rufio became highly surprised.

"You're going to heal the pirates you fight?" he asked incredulously. Max nodded.

"We only kill heartless and nobodies," he said. "Not living people." Rufio shook his head.

"Do what you want, just don't be surprised if they attack you even after you've healed them." Peter looked annoyed at Rufio.

"They won't attack them again," he said, "they'll be grateful. Some of them are probably fathers and would rather not be fighting anyway. Which reminds me, I have a plan to save my kids." The company looked brightly at Peter.

"Great!" Roxas exclaimed. "What is it?" Peter just smiled at them.

"You'll see," was all he said.

The company and the lost boys had assembled in town and hidden in one of the town's buildings that bordered Hook's ship. The lost boys were arrayed in armour made of coconut husks, bamboo shoots, and wooden slots and most of them carried cutlasses while a few held machinations of some sort. Below them on the waterfront was a wooden vessel the boys had erected that would enable some of them to board Hook's ship. They were all waiting in silence for Peter's signal and Sora felt himself grow nervous again. Kairi threw a glance at him while she gripped the Oathkeeper to see his anxious face. She loosened her grip on her keyblade and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Sora turned his head while he clasped a hand on hers. No words needed to be said between them, as Kairi's eyes radiated all the comfort that Sora needed. A comforting silence passed between them as the warriors all around waited with baited breath. Roxas was fingering the tip of the Sleeping Lion, Naminé was pacing, and Max was resting his back on the wall. Sora tore his eyes away from Kairi and glanced at Hook's ship.

_That's a fair bit of water,_ he thought as he surveyed the distance. He then glanced at Roxas and Naminé. _They don't have the ability to fly yet_, he realized. They both looked up at him and stalked towards him.

"Then give us the ability to fly," Roxas half ordered in a joking whisper. Sora chuckled and drew the box out of his pocket again before sprinkling the precious dust on the Nobodies. Roxas threw Sora an inquiring glance. _Just a happy thought?_ He asked telepathically.

_Yep_, Sora replied, _just one_. Roxas nodded and gazed at Naminé. His heart melting as he beheld her in her splendor as she gazed at his handsome figure. Suddenly both of their feet lifted a few inches off the ground. Before anything else could happen however, they heard Peter's signal.

"Bangerang!" they all heard him yell. At once every warrior assembled leapt into action. Leaving their hiding place, the company and lost boys came out onto the wooden balcony of the building they were hiding in. Observing Peter, trapped under a net with at least ten cutlasses pointed at his neck, Jack, decked out as a younger Hook, and Hook, standing on the bridge they let loose their war cry.

"Bangerang!" they answered. The pirates' attention was suddenly drawn away from Peter towards the army of youth that were now swinging on ropes towards them, still shouting their war cry. Sora leapt into the air and flew straight for Peter, his whole party by his side. With a mighty aerial slash Sora cut the net that bound Peter. With the net broken, Peter threw it off.

"Thanks Sora," he said. Sora nodded his head as Hook's voice filled the air.

"Call out the village militia!" he ordered, his hook hooked on Smee's collar. "We'll need every last man." Smee nodded as his captain released him and ran to the bell.

"If there's anybody not fighting," he yelled as he ran it, more lost boys swinging onto the ship, "get here quick!"

"Sora, watch out!" Kairi yelled as she battled a pirate. Instantly Sora turned around and met the falling blade of one of the pirates with the Oblivion. He looked into the stunned face of the pirate as he overpowered the older man's strength and brutally shoved his cutlass aside. As soon as the weapon was down, Sora delivered a slash to the pirate's ribs. The man howled in agony and clutched his chest, dropping his forgotten blade. Sora looked sympathetically at the man and pulled out one of the Hi-potions he had.

"Here, let me heal you," he said, kneeling down and spraying a small portion of the bottle's contents on the wound. The man was stupefied as he looked at the healing wound and then at Sora.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, stunned. Sora stood and looked at him.

"I don't kill other people," was all he said, before turning on another pirate that was about to stab him. Hook smiled admirably at his actions.

"Ah, very good form Sora," he called. "You and your friends are very intriguing. Fighting my men only to heal them after you beat them. Good show. Good form." Sora ignored him as he continually fought pirates to the other side of the ship, his friends by his side. Eventually he found himself fighting next to Kairi, and they began talking joyously as they fought and healed their adversaries.

"You still nervous Sora?" Kairi asked playfully as she twitched her neck to avoid one pirate's lunge. Sora smirked at her as he bloodied up another pirate before healing him.

"Nope," he answered, spraying the Hi-potion on the pirate's fresh wounds. "The thrill of battle takes the uneasy nerves away." Kairi nodded as she deftly avoided another attack. She pointed her keyblade at the pirate's hand that held the sword that was attacking her.

"Blizzara_." _Ashard of ice flew out of the Oathkeeper's tip and froze the pirate's hand. He dropped his cutlass and Kairi used one of her Hi-potions to heal his hand.

"Form ranks!" Peter suddenly commanded. The lost boys and warriors of light formed up near Peter on the stern side of the ship while Hook had his men form ranks on the bow. "Let's get ready to show them the white light we're made of boys!" Peter yelled, pacing in front of his troops.

"Remember the fires from hell that forged you!" Hook roared. "Charge!" The pirates charged at the solid line composing of Peter's men and friends.

"Now!" Peter ordered, slashing his bronze blade downwards. The lost boys in the front rank revealed polished, shiny mirrors and directed them at the oncoming pirates' faces, blinding them.

"I'll help," Kairi said as she raised her left hand. A brilliant radiance began to emanate from her outstretched palm, greatly aiding the lost boys' blinding efforts.

"We'll show you who's chicken," Peter taunted. "Watch this!" At his command a lost boy came up from the rear, carrying a large shotgun type weapon that had a chicken sitting atop a basket of eggs. While the pirates were blinded, the lost boy fired eggs from his shotgun straight into their faces, the empty eggshells dropping to the deck. "Buk-buk-buk-buk," Peter said, while looking at the chicken. The shotgun fired again. "Buckah!" Out of ammo, the shotgun wielding boy retreated and the mirror carrying boys fell back as well. The pirates would have surged forward had they not been blinded by Kairi's light, still emanating from her palm as beads of sweat formed on her brow as she struggled to keep it up.

"You almost ready?" she asked another lost boy hurriedly, throwing a glance behind her. A boy with fair skin wielding some machination of war stepped forward and positioned himself in the breach in the wall.

"Ready," he declared, his fingers twitching on the triggers. Kairi nodded.

"Have at them," she ordered, before dropping her light and collapsing into Sora's arms, the Oblivion disappearing from his hands. The pirates surged forward and lost boy began his barrage. Hook looked on in stunned wonder as dozens of marbles came shooting out of the twin barrels on his weapon, tripping the pirates up. Sora anxiously held onto Kairi in his arms as Peter, Rufio, the lost boys, Max, Roxas, and Naminé began fighting the pirates again, although if they could have spared a glance, Sora and Kairi would have noticed that Naminé wasn't fighting as adeptly anymore. Kairi weakly held her head in one hand as the fighting continued all around them.

"You okay?" Sora asked anxiously. Kairi weakly nodded her head as she stood herself up again, stumbling a little.

"Yeah," she said. "I just used too much of my light there. I'll need to control the amount I use in the future." Sora nodded grimly while Kairi steeled herself to head into the fray again. Before she could, Sora grabbed her arm and spun her around, drawing her into a hug. Kairi smiled and eagerly hugged him back.

"I love you," Sora said, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. Kairi went one step further and kissed him back on the lips.

"I know," she said when they broke apart, before giggling. "And I love you too, so be careful out there." Sora grinned as he heaved the Oblivion onto his shoulders.

"Aren't I always?" he asked rhetorically before using Quick Run to dive straight into the middle of a pack of foes. Kairi grinned as she watched Sora dispatch all of them before healing them again with a cure spell.

_That's the Sora I know, _she thought. She suddenly heard a sound behind her and raised her keyblade to block a strike a pirate was making for her head. Kairi shoved the pirate's blade away with her own and sliced his chest, pulling out a Hi-potion in the process and healing it directly after.

"Sora! Kairi! Max!" they heard Peter yell. "Maggie's in trouble!" Kairi looked up to see Peter flying through the air above the ship towards a building's balcony. She rose from the ground to join Sora and Max as they flanked him. The four of them landed on the balcony and rushed in, seeing a little girl in a white nightgown being carried on the back of a large pirate.

"Daddy!" Maggie cried as she saw him.

"Hang on Maggie!" Peter yelled as a pirate ran up and crossed blades with him.

"Wait!" The pirate said. "Ain't you-?"

"Peter Pan," Peter answered. Rather than facing Peter, the pirate leapt out the balcony. The four ran after the pirate that was carrying Maggie, who put her down and drew his blade with a flourish. Peter leapt forward and began dueling the man while Sora, Kairi, and Max ran forward to see if Maggie was all right.

"Everything's going to be just fine Maggie," Kairi said sweetly as she knelt down. But Maggie wasn't listening. She was staring at her father with unknown fascination.

"Peter Pan's my," she said quietly, "dad?" Sora and Kairi laughed a little at her and Maggie suddenly realized they were there. "Kairi, Sora!" she exclaimed upon seeing them. "You're here too?" Kairi nodded.

"Everything's going to be just fine Maggie," Kairi repeated, lifting the Oathkeeper so Maggie could see it. The child stared at the blade.

"The keyblade," Sora said, stepping forward to show Maggie his. "Wendy was telling a true story back in the nursery." Maggie's eyes widened as the weight of what he said hit her.

"Are you the really real Sora?" she asked looking up at him. Sora chuckled at her as he knelt down next to Kairi.

"Yes I'm the real Sora," he answered before glancing at Peter who was still fighting the pirate. "You're dad's changed a lot since he fought with Donald, Goofy, and me."

"So if you're the real Sora," Maggie began as she quickly swiveled her head to look at Kairi, "then you're the real Kairi!" The aforementioned teen giggled as she nodded her crimson covered head. Maggie's expression changed into a thoughtful one. "But you don't _look_ as old as my dad-"

"That's because we're from another world Maggie," Kairi explained. She then pointed at Max who was keeping watch. "And Max is from another world too, he's Goofy's son."

"Oh," Maggie said when she saw Max. Finding him a little too weird for the moment, she turned back to Sora and Kairi. "So what is your own world like?" The two laughed at her before beginning.

"Well," Kairi began. "The world we're from is called the 'Destiny Islands' and it is a perfect tropical paradise, apart from school. There are sandy white beaches and palm and coconut trees, and a special tree on an island Sora and our friends go to called a Paopu tree."

"The fruit from the Paopu tree is said to be magical," Sora explained, the beginnings of tears starting to form on his and Kairi's eyes. "Legend has it that those who share one will have their destinies intertwined forever. The decision to share one is almost as big for some people as it is to get married, and it's a sign of the greatest love a person can have for another." Sora suddenly choked up before he said his next words. "I wonder if anyone will ever be able to share a paopu again." Maggie suddenly became aware of the tears that were silently streaming down Sora and Kairi's cheeks.

"Sora, Kairi," she asked. "Why are you crying?" Kairi wiped the tears off of her face and looked at Maggie.

"Because, the Islands were attacked by heartless and one of Maleficent's henchmen," she explained. "We don't know what condition they're in, if our friends are still there, or even if our parents are okay."

"And," Sora continued shakily, "the one Maleficent sent is different from any other foe we've ever fought before. Even her name fills my heart with despair. With her power, she could easily kill me or turn me into a heartless if it weren't for Kairi's light." Max shifted uneasily by the balcony.

_They're so close,_ he thought, _so close to finding out Maleficent's plan. I could just tell them, but then I'd be disobeying the last orders King Mickey gave me, just before we left._ As he struggled with whether to tell them or not, Peter shoved a large statue on top of the pirate he was fighting and rushed to Maggie.

"Maggie," he cried joyously, not noticing the somber expressions on the two teenagers who were now hugging each other for comfort at remembering their home.

"Daddy!" Maggie exalted as she was lifted up into his arms.

"I'm not going to lose you again," Peter said softly to his daughter.

"Daddy, Hook still has Jack," Maggie reminded. "We need to help him." Peter's face hardened.

"Well then let's get your brother back," Peter said, before turning his head to see Sora and Kairi, still weeping silently and holding each other. "I don't think you two are fit to fight anymore," he said surveying them. The two looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah," they breathed out. Peter smiled grimly.

"Max," he snapped. "Get them down to help the lost boys make the pirates surrender and stay with them. I'll go get Jack." Max nodded at him and stepped towards Sora and Kairi.

"Guys," he said, holding out his hands. They let their keyblades vanish and grabbed Max's hands, getting a lift back up to their feet. Together the three lightly dropped down onto the street and helped gather up the surrendering pirates' weapons.

"Hey," Roxas asked as he and Naminé strode up to them, "what's up?" Kairi looked skeptically at them.

"As if you don't know?" she asked. Naminé shrugged.

"We don't read your thoughts all the time," she said. "We can miss things you know." Sora and Kairi looked almost relieved that they still had some measure of privacy of their own thoughts, yet that feeling was quickly squashed as they remembered what had made them so down in the first place.

"We were thinking about home," Sora said. He left his sentence there. No more needed to be said between the four of them. Suddenly Peter landed next to them all, carrying Jack on his shoulders. Thud, Ace and a few other lost boys ran up to Peter, calling for a victory feast. Captain Hook ran was yelling at them from the upper deck.

"Come back here Peter and fight me!" he ordered. Peter shouldered Maggie and began to walk away.

"You need a mother very, very badly!" Maggie yelled. Hook ran down to the gangplank, stopping so that Smee could flip the stairs to the red carpet again.

"If you don't fight me now Peter I swear wherever you go, wherever you are there will always be daggers bearing notes signed 'James Hook' following you!" Hook yelled. "They will be flung at the doors of your children's children's children!" Peter stopped and put Maggie down. He turned around to face the man that had vexed him for most of his life.

"What do you want old man?" Peter asked. Hook pointed his hook at Peter Pan.

"Just you." Peter drew his sword.

"You got me James Hook," Peter said flying up to Hook. "Pan the Avenger, is back." Hook smiled at him as Smee removed his red overcoat.

"And the hook is waiting, Peter Pan." Hook drew his sword in a flash of smoke and their blades met with a musical clang.

"You know I remember you were a lot bigger," Peter said.

"To a ten year old I'm huge," Hook retorted, swinging his sword at Peter. Peter flipped backwards in the air and flew down into the town, Hoko following. Peter whipped around as Hook slashed at him. "Now you die Peter," Hoko taunted.

"To de would be a great adventure," Peter countered.

"Death is the only adventure you have left now," Hook spat before attacking again. The two mortal enemies began lunging, slashing, thrusting and parrying constantly as Peter fell back, flaunting his sword and taunting Hook. They had arrived at a blacksmith's shop when Hook thrust Peter down next to the grindstone, metallic sparks flying from his hook's tip.

"You know you're not really Peter Pan you know," Hook said. "This is all just a dream. When you wake up you'll just be Peter Banning. A cold, selfish man who drinks too much, is obsessed with success, and runs and hides from his wife and children!" Peter glanced at his friends and children.

"I believe in you," Maggie whispered.

"I believe in you," Ace repeated.

"I believe in you," Sora, Kairi, Max, and the Nobodies said.

"You're the Pan," Thud said and Jack nodded his head.

"You are Peter Pan," he said. Tink suddenly flew in in front of Jack.

"I believe in you," she said and Peter took strength from all of the support he was gaining. "Peter Pan." With a great shove Peter threw Captain James Hook off of him and onto the ground, Hook's sword going wide. Peter picked up the fallen blade and after a moment's hesitation, held the hilt out to Hook. The captain took his sword in his right hand, and he sliced the hook on his left on Peter's arm. Peter withdrew his arm to observe the gash as Jack strode forward.

"Bad form Hook!" he yelled and Sora grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from going too far.

"Now we end this," Peter growled, viciously stringing together several slashes that Hook blocked. Together they fenced; Hook constantly retreating until they reached the town square. Hook and Peter's blades clashed constantly. Captain Hook hurled his blade downwards at Peter's, both of them meeting with a musical note, yet neither withdrew. They both pressed against the other's sword, hoping to overpower the other. Peter winced as sweat began forming on his brow and Hook smiled savagely. Suddenly the lost boys ran up behind Peter, all holding ticking clocks.

"Ah!" Hook cried in distress as he retreated and ran away. More lost boys blocked his path with more clocks and Hook cried again, trapped.

"Hello," Peter taunted as Hook ran back to face him. "Tick-tock, tick-tock Hook's afraid of an old dead croc!" Their blades met again as Peter took the advantage over the frazzled captain. "I think not!" he continued as he advanced on Hook. "I think James Hook is afraid of time! Ticking, ticking away!" Peter pointed his sword out over Hook's head. "Tick, tock." With a flick of the wrist Peter tossed Hook's hat off of his head with his gleaming blade. The captain's chapeau landed perfectly on Too Small's head. The bald captain tried vainly to continue the fight, but he quickly lost his sword as Peter spiraled his blade around Hook's rapier.

"You win Peter," Hook croaked, Peter's sword inches from his throat. "I am fallen." He looked back at his hat. "Give me my dignity back first, you cut off my hand, I believe you owe me something." Sora grabbed Hook's hat off of Too Small's head and tossed it at Peter, who gave it to the fallen captain.

"You killed Rufio," Peter said while advancing menacingly, "you kidnapped my children, you deserve to die." Kairi and the gang gasped.

"Rufio's dead?" Kairi whispered through teary eyes. Sora placed his arms around her in what he hoped to be a comforting gesture, even though he was just as distraught.

"I've never lost a friend before," he whispered hoarsely. "I guess it was bound to happen sometime, but I never thought it would." Hook's voice suddenly hit them again and gave a reprieve from the grief.

"Excellent, good form Jack," Hook said, reacting to Jack's comment that Hook couldn't hurt them anymore. "After all, what would the world be like," he continued, placing his hat back on his head and smiling, "without Captain Hook?"

"I want you to take your ship," Peter ordered, "and go. And I never want to see your face in Neverland again." Peter sheathed his sword and turned his back on Hook, taking his children's hands in his. "Let's go home," he said. Captain Hook's expression changed to one of rage as he held out his hand, and another sword came springing out of his coat into his outstretched palm.

"Fools!" He cried, driving Peter into the crocodile's back and placing his blade against his neck. "James Hook is Neverland!" He breathed on Peter, and none could do anything to stop him, for fear of losing Peter.

_No!_ Sora thought. _Not two in one day!_

"And every child will cry as everywhere they read," Hook said, his voice dripping with malice as he rose his hook, "thus perished Peter Pan." He was about to swing it down when Tink flew in and grabbed the hook, holding it back. Peter flung the sword off of him and grabbed the hook, only to shove it into the deceased crocodile's belly. Everyone could hear a faint roar as the clock came out of the crocodile's mouth and the boards that held him up started falling down.

"What is happening?" the captain yelled in fear as he was somehow flung back onto the ground. The crocodile's head looked down and stared at Hook as it roared again.

"It's still alive," Kairi said in awe. The beast began to fall its jaws open wide.

"I want my mommy!" James Hook cried as the mouth fell down on him, a dust cloud springing up from the shockwave. Sora and the gang approached the gaping mouth as they heard a very loud belch.

"Hook's gone," Naminé said. The message became repeated to everyone present and all the lost boys and Peter began celebrating, running through the open mouth and around the head.

"Pan the man!" Peter yelled in jubilation until he caught sight of his children and friends, "Pan the man-". Too Small approached Peter and tugged on his shirt.

"What is it Peter?" he asked.

"I can't stay and play, it is time for me to go," he answered. He walked up to his kids and looked up.

"Tink?" he asked, looking at the pixie. "Make my kids glow." She smiled as she sprinkled her magic dust on the two young kids. "Kids," Peter said. "Just think one happy thought, and you'll fly like me."

"Mommy!" Maggie said, smiling at her father.

"My dad," Jack said in admiration. "Peter Pan." They both let out shouts of amazement as they floated off the ground.

"Take them home Tink," Peter said. "You know the way. I'll be right behind you," he called. Peter turned to Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Naminé, and Max. "I guess this is it Sora."

"Yeah," Sora answered. "Once we leave, we'll probably never see each other again."

"That's okay Sora," Peter said. "Because as long as I live, and as long as there is a Neverland, we'll never forget you. And who's to say that there won't be another Peter Pan someday that you'll meet." He then chuckled and ruffled Sora's spiky hair, glancing at Kairi. "Don't do anything stupid spiky."

"Hey!" Sora said in offence. "Who do you think I am?" Peter laughed at him.

"A teenage boy with a pretty girlfriend." The two teens looked at each other, blushed, and promptly looked away as the whole group laughed.

"Well," Max said. "See you around Peter." Peter nodded and saluted them as they beamed back up to the _Highwind._

"Thank you for believing," Peter said.

* * *

_Right, that's the end of Neverland, and the start of a story shift. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but I will start including Riku, Yuffie, Maleficent, and PJ now._

_Please leave a review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You!**_

_Shire Folk_


	14. Maleficent's Revenge

_Okay, I no longer need more song votes for Atlantica. I have picked one of your songs, but I won't tell you who gave the song to me until that chapter, so you'll just have to guess._

_You guys are going to hate me for this chapter, the title says enough. And beware, this is my first chapter with actual obscene language. Naminé's outburst earlier doesn't count._

_I REALLY hate this chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XIV: Maleficent's Revenge

"You have disobeyed me Pete," Maleficent addressed a cowering Pete. Maleficent and her allies, including the unknown spy, were all situated in their meeting room in the castle that formerly belonged to Organization XIII. PJ and a cloaked man with spiked silver hair were sniggering while Cossex smiled wickedly. "I told you not to engage Sora should you encounter him!" the witch continued, not at all pleased. "Still, you aren't a total failure."

"Huh?" Pete asked, surprised by his master's sudden lack of aggression.

"By using that army of heartless to confront the keyblade heroes," Maleficent explained, "you made them give a donation of thousands of hearts towards Kingdom Hearts. Such a charitable offer will increase in great darkness that will flood from the keyhole in that moon after we have all the princesses here. Which reminds me," Maleficent turned to PJ. "Why are you not guarding Alice, Aurora, and Cinderella?"

"You told me to come here for the meeting," PJ answered, a little flustered.

"Then who is guarding them?" the sorceress asked.

"I walked by after you had summoned PJ here," Cossex spoke up. "So I ordered four berserkers to guard them." Maleficent nodded at the Nobody.

"Very good Cossex, we need them guarded at all times. Who knows when they might try anything funny?"

"So," the silver-haired man next to PJ began. "What are we going to do to get the Sora and the last princess here?"

"It would be useless to get them now," Cossex said. "They both wield keyblades, we need them to build up our army for when the keyhole is complete."

"Our army is already massive," Maleficent stated. "When Sora last closed that keyhole and Kingdom Hearts he prevented an army of heartless larger than any force the worlds have ever seen from entering the realm of light. As soon as we open that keyhole," Maleficent closed her fist and began cackling, "I'll be able to extract that army and use it to conquer all!"

"So what are we going to do about the keyblade brat then?" the man asked. Pete thumped his chest.

"Haven't ya been paying attention at the meetings? We're going to turn him into a heartless and give him what for!" The man with silver hair pounded the table as he rose.

"But how man, how?!"

"Patience Nixion," Maleficent spoke as she raised a hand. "We will toy a little with the boy's emotions for sport first. He is a perfect plaything that we can manipulate to our will. He will come to us in the end. Yet we still need the rest of the princesses. You and Pete will go and kidnap the remaining ones, minus Kairi. Cossex will probably need your help to capture her and Sora." Nixion and Pete nodded and vanished through a portal of darkness. Maleficent then turned to Cossex, who raised her eyebrows. PJ shifted nervously.

"What sort of thing," he asked, "do you have in mind to do to Sora?" Maleficent laughed at him.

"My dear PJ," she answered. "We will simply destroy his home and kill his friends and family. Cossex, kill his poor mother personally. And throw in his beloved princess's parents as well for good measure."

"What of Riku and the King's lackeys?" Cossex asked.

"Let them live," Maleficent ordered. "It will hurt Sora and Kairi's feelings even more if the found out that their best friends could only stand by idly while you killed their beloved family. Destroy everything by any means necessary; use as many resources as you will. Just make sure Sora will be thrown into a senseless rage." Cossex smiled at her master before opening another portal.

"I'll draw them into a false sense of security first," she stated, backing away. "Then, I'll crush them." The portal closed after her and Maleficent dismissed PJ so he could resume his duties.

_Oh, this is bad_, PJ thought as he walked down the white corridors towards the Castle's dungeon. They hadn't changed much since the Organization left. The only real additions and renovations that had been made to the whole castle were thousands of black thorns that wrapped around the exterior and decorated the dungeons, and a small guardhouse built for PJ next to the large, and only, cell in the dungeons. _This is very bad, and there's nothing I can do to stop it!_ PJ stopped in front of the cell's bars and dismissed the Nobodies Cossex had summoned to guard the princesses. He sat down and placed his head in his hands with a long sigh.

"Whatever is the matter PJ?" Alice asked as she, Aurora, and Cinderella came to rest near the cell entrance. The three in the cell had long since learned that PJ was a spy for King Mickey, and so they had all become friends quite quickly.

"Yes," Aurora asked, "what happened in the meeting?" PJ sighed and began to explain.

"Well, it started with Maleficent chastising my dad about fighting Sora when he shouldn't have," he started with a smirk, the three girls behind him giggling. "Then she explained that because of Pete's blunder Sora and Kairi had contributed towards the great darkness that would come from the keyhole," PJ's face slowly fell as he recalled the events," and she asked why I wasn't guarding you. Then it went on to ordering Nixion and my father to capture the rest of the princesses of heart, except for Kairi. And now," he heaved out, "she's just ordered Cossex to go to the Destiny Islands and completely trash them while personally killing Sora's mother and Kairi's parents." The three princesses gasped and displayed looks of sheer terror.

"That's horrible!" Alice exclaimed.

"Shush," Cinderella said hurriedly, looking around. "Maleficent may be nearby." PJ snorted.

"No she won't," he said. "She'll be too busy devising schemes of what to do when Sora comes rushing in here to get revenge on her." PJ sighed again and slumped further down. "And there's nothing I can do about it!" he exclaimed, pounding the ground with his fist. A silence developed between the four of them as they thought up ways out of this predicament.

"Well," Aurora began after a time. "We could warn them that Cossex is going to attack." PJ looked up.

"You're right," he said in amazement. "I just remembered that Cossex said that she'd draw them into a false sense of security. So she probably won't attack for a few days, which will give them some time to ready themselves." PJ got up and turned to Aurora. Despite the fact that she was behind bars, he took her hand and kissed it.

"Thanks Aurora," he said before turning his back on them and heading towards the guardhouse made for him. Before he stepped in he called at them over his shoulder. "Can you three ladies guard yourselves for a moment while I warn our friends?" PJ chuckled as he saw their smiling faces and stepped into the guardhouse. It wasn't much, just a couple of square white rooms. PJ walked up to a bookcase and pulled out a yellow book titled 'The History of Cheese'. The bookcase flipped around to reveal a secret passageway that led down into PJ's communications room. Sitting down at a table with the electronic setup, PJ turned on the transmitter and set it to video, already inputting the desired receivers.

"This is PJ calling King Mickey aboard the _Avenger_ and Axel on the Destiny Islands. Message, over."

* * *

Riku was sitting quietly with Yuffie and Axel in the house the two teachers had gotten. It seemed normal from the outside, but the inside was a different story. It was normal in most aspects, but there was a pinball machine in the rec room that went to a hidden basement that held all of their monitoring equipment. There was a transmitter that allowed messages to be sent between worlds, and a RADAR detector that allowed them to map out the locations of heartless throughout the town. Yuffie had already told Riku that its range was limited and it couldn't scan further than three kilometers outside of town. And there was also a direct phone line to the mayor.

Riku was sitting back with his eyes closed; relaxing on the chair he was sitting on. He hadn't had a very though day. Slaying only about fifty heartless was nowhere near as bad as the Biology essay he had had to write. The topic had been "Describe and explain the functions of a working heart." Having been schooled by Ansem the Wise while he was working on bringing Sora's memories back together, Riku had learned a lot about the workings of the heart, yet his teachers at school did not seem to acknowledge the work of Ansem and Riku had to spend an hour defending and arguing his position in class to them. Now that was hard work!

Riku sighed as he remembered trumping Mr. Anderson's argument and Yuffie looked over at him.

"Tough day?" she asked pleasantly, coming over to sit next to him. Riku cracked open an eyelid and gazed at her.

"Not too tough for a wielder of the keyblade," he joked. Yuffie and Axel chuckled and Riku laughed with them. The sight of Yuffie's black hair swaying with her head as she laughed sent a warm feeling to Riku's heart and he smiled, to hide his confusion. _What is going on?_ He thought to himself. Before he could probe deeper into his mind a warning siren came on and they heard a voice blare through the speakers on the communications equipment.

"This is PJ calling King Mickey aboard the _Avenger_ and Axel on the Destiny Islands. Message, over." Immediately Axel sprang to life and put the transmitter on video. Riku grabbed his water bottle and took a swig, not phased by the sudden noise.

"This is Axel," Axel said, going through proper radio etiquette, "calling PJ. Go ahead, over." They saw on the screen PJ sitting in his room in the guardhouse. He looked kind of like Pete, except he was smaller than his dad and wore a red shirt over a pair of blue jeans. A moment later after the King had completed his greeting, the screen split into two and an image of King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy aboard the bridge of their ship also appeared.

"What's going on PJ?" King Mickey asked gravely. "And why did you include Axel in your transmission?"

"What?" Axel asked, offended. "Am I not good enough to be included in these powwows your Majesty?" Riku inclined his head towards Yuffie.

"This kind of thing happen often?" he whispered. Yuffie grinned and nodded her head.

"Yep," she said brightly. "And it's always fun to watch." Riku nodded and offered her a swig of water.

"Well your Majesty," PJ answered quickly, in order to avoid a certain pyro's demise. "This information concerns the Islands as well." Riku saw Mickey give Axel a stern glare before turning towards his informant.

"Get on with it PJ." The boy sighed sadly as he turned away from his king and looked at the Islands group. Riku raised his eyebrows and took another swig from his water bottle.

"Maleficent sent Cossex to destroy you guys," he said bluntly. Riku spat out the water he was drinking, spraying it all over Axel's back.

"Say what?" Riku exclaimed. Axel swiveled his chair around and glared at Riku.

"You did that on purpose," he taunted, fire engulfing him and drying his clothes off. Suddenly he registered what PJ had said and quickly swiveled back. "Say what?" he yelped, repeating Riku. Yuffie appeared quite distressed as she teetered on the edge of her seat.

"Why does she want to destroy us?" she asked.

"It's all to get at Sora and Kairi," PJ said sadly. "Maleficent doesn't want to destroy you three, just practically everything and everyone else. She even ordered Cossex to personally kill their parents. She believes that when they find out, they'll through caution to the winds and rush to the castle, seeking vengeance. Then she'll be able to capture them and turn Sora into a heartless." Donald quaked in indignation.

"We can't let her do that!" he squawked.

"But how?" Goofy asked, scratching his head. "We're days away from the Islands. We'd never make it in time."

"Well actually," PJ started. "Cossex said right before she left that she'd draw the Islands into a false sense of security first. So you probably have a few days."

"I doubt you'd be of much help your Majesty, even if you did make it in time," Yuffie said. "We saw what Cossex can do at the party we threw for Sora and Kairi. Even after they had left she continued to use her powers on the crowd. It seems as if only the princesses of heart can withstand her mental breaking powers or whatever it is." PJ nodded and turned to 'look' at King Mickey.

"She speaks the truth you highness," he said. "When Cossex came back that night, she was raving about how Kairi and Naminé were immune to her powers. Then Maleficent explained that the light in their hearts protects them. Anyone with darkness, no matter how small, would be affected."

"Then we'll just have to stop her before she can do such a dastardly deed!" Axel roared, slamming a fist into his hand. "We'll place a guard on Anne, Seymour, and Janet just in case."

"No!" King Mickey ordered. "They must not know that their lives are threatened. We must keep this between us and you three have to keep a constant watch. If any of the heartless that she's gathering show up, gather all of those on the Islands who can fight and meet her. You have to stop her by a show of force before she can reach their parents." Riku folded his arms and looked at the mouse king.

"And should she break through and-" Riku began to choke on his words, "-kill Sora and Kairi's parents and destroy the Islands?" King Mickey looked grimly at them.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Riku looked down sadly and began thinking of what would happen if she won.

"Aw, cheer up Riku," Goofy said in a comforting tone.

"Yeah," Donald piped up. "Like we told Sora, nobody can beat you!" Riku gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"Sora and Roxas can," he said glumly. "And if Cossex can beat them then she can beat…" Yuffie smacked him on the head. "Ow!" Riku exclaimed as he rubbed his silver-clad head.

"Stop thinking like that!" Yuffie sternly ordered. "We'll get through this. We have to, otherwise Sora and Kairi will get so angry with us!"

"That's kind of part of the plan too," PJ said slowly, rubbing his head. "That's why Maleficent ordered that you three are not to be killed." Axel groaned and threw his arms up into the air.

"Could today get any better?" he asked vainly.

"Well," PJ began again.

"Don't tell me there actually is more?" Axel asked in shock. PJ smiled half-heartedly at him.

"She's also sent Nixion and Pete out to capture the rest of the princesses," PJ said. "Except for Kairi and Sora. Cossex and Nixion are to get them after all the others are here." A small beeping began to sound from the king's dashboard and he looked down.

"We'll have to cut this off," he said. "We're approaching the next world. I'll leave it to you three to sort this out. Good luck." On that note, half of the screen that displayed the King and his companions flickered out. PJ logged off as well and a new look appeared on Riku's face.

"If we fail," he said slowly, glumly hanging his head, his water bottle forgotten. "Sora's going to be so pissed."

* * *

A little later Sora landed the _Highwind _back in the Radiant Garden. He had already reasoned with Kairi the previous night while they toasted to victory and Rufio's memory that a hero needed to be comfortable to save the worlds. Or at least, his clothes needed to be comfortable.

"So why are we here again?" Max asked as they strode down the landing ramp. Kairi shook her head in exasperation.

"We told you before Max," she said. "We're here so that Sora and I can learn a few spells and magic from Merlin. On Sora's last adventures Donald had always cleaned their clothes of all the blood and mud and gunk that got stuck on them. And Donald learned everything he knows from Merlin, so since we don't know where Donald is exactly we're going to see Merlin." Max sighed as Kairi and Sora walked further away through the Marketplace.

"You guys do that," he called, turning his back on them. "I'll just train in the simulator and hang out here." Sora turned his head and stared at Max while he walked away with Kairi.

_Chicken Wuss,_ Roxas said. Sora shook his head as they strolled through the Marketplace.

_He just feels left out_, Sora muted. _We need to think of something to do that we can all do together instead of just Kairi and me._ Roxas responded with some kind of remark, but Sora wasn't listening. An object in one of the stalls had just caught his eye. It was a silver pendant, and it was shaped just like his crown one. There were two main differences though. One, there was a pink tinge to it, and two, there was a small heart embossed in the center the right size for a small engraving. _I should get that as a sweet sixteen present for Kairi_, he thought. He quickly strode up to the stall while Kairi was off heading towards the Borough.

"How much is the crown pendant?" Sora asked hurriedly. The shopkeeper, whose tag said her name was Jessie, smiled at him.

"Got someone in mind for it?" she asked. Sora nodded hastily and glanced over his shoulder to check that Kairi wasn't approaching. "Well, the base itself is 600 munny, but an engraving costs extra."

"How much does the engraving cost?" Sora asked. Jessie shrugged.

"Depends on the length of the engraving."

"Well," Sora said quietly as he leaned in, "could you put 'Kairi' on the front in the heart, and on the back put down 'Have a sweet sixteen, Love Sora'?" Jessie wrote it all down on a piece of paper and looked it over.

"Okay," she said as she made calculations in her head. "The pendant is 600 munny, engraving 500 munny, plus tax. Your total comes to 1 232 munny." The girl then smiled knowingly at Sora. "Is she worth it?" Sora pulled out the moneybag Max had filled for him in Neverland.

"Even if it cost me all the munny in the worlds," he responded as he placed the bag on the counter, "I'd still gladly pay it. Here you are, 1 232 munny on the button. When will it be ready?" She took the money and placed it as well as the pendant under the counter.

"Tomorrow afternoon," she said pleasantly. Sora thanked her and promised he'd be by tomorrow to pick it up before dashing off after Kairi.

"What were you doing Sora?" Kairi asked as soon as he caught up with her outside of Merlin's house. Sora instantly began sweating bullets and he turned Kairi away.

"Oh, nothing," he said quickly and in a shaky voice. Kairi sighed as Sora led her in. Obviously she wasn't about to find out what he had been doing. The place looked exactly the same as they had left it, except only Merlin was inside this time. He looked around when he heard them enter.

"Back so soon eh Sora?" Merlin said motioning for them to sit in a couple of chairs he conjured out of nowhere. They took their proffered seats and helped themselves to some tea that Merlin's magic cutlery was making.

"We need your help Merlin," Sora began, sipping his tea after the sugar had but two scoops in. The wizard raised his eyebrows at Sora and looked between him and Kairi.

"Really?" he asked humorously, "what with?"

"Well," Kairi said. "We need some magic training." Merlin looked splendidly excited at the prospect of having pupils again.

"Excellent," the wizard said, instantly hoping up onto his feet and grabbing his bag of holding. "Well, let's not waste time. You two need to get back on your quest pretty soon, I'm sure." He stopped and turned back to the two teens. "The quest is on hold for the moment isn't it?" Sora smiled at him as he began to follow Merlin with Kairi.

"We're pretty sure we could take a few days off," he said brightly, stepping out into the sunlight. "The King is out there with Donald and Goofy after all."

"Yeah," Kairi added. "The worlds will be fine for a couple of days." Merlin nodded his head.

"Yes, yes," he said, stroking his beard as the walked towards the castle postern. "You're both quite right." The strolled in silence into a courtyard that was beginning to bloom with flowers and Sora raised his eyebrows.

"This place truly has changed a lot," he said eyeing the postern's new look. It had been a circular platform, but now it had walkways of cobblestones between lawns of grass and bustling flowerbeds. Kairi knelt down to smell some of the flowers and Sora's heart melted as he smelled her sweet vanilla perfume again. _She sure is one of a kind_, he thought to himself. He was suddenly brought back to the here and now when Merlin spoke.

"Now," the wizard began, stroking his beard. "What sort of magic had you planned on learning?" Sora started rubbing the back of his head while Kairi turned her head to look at him. It was his idea after all.

"Well," Sora began, unsure of how Merlin would take it. "I was thinking of some kind of cleaning spell, and anything else you'd like to throw in." Merlin chuckled heartily at Sora.

"Something as simple as that?" he roared. "My lad, I hardly expected such a spell request from you!"

"Hey!" Sora retorted, plucking on his vest. "That's not fair! I don't have Donald with me anymore, and do you know just how dirty and stained our clothes got on all our adventures?" Merlin wiped a tear of mirth out of his eye.

"I'm sorry my boy," he said weakly. "I had forgotten that you didn't have the court magician with you." Merlin swiftly recovered and pulled out a brown wand. "Now, I assume you can both cast magic without a wand or keyblade out, correct?" Sora and Kairi nodded their heads. Kairi hadn't used much magic without her keyblade, yet she still used her light without it. "Very good," Merlin continued, "then it will be easier when I teach you how to cast magic soundlessly. That way your opponent won't be able to tell which spell you're casting, unless you want them to know of course. But the charm I shall teach you now," Merlin said with a flourish as he saw their interest peak when he mentioned mutely casting spells, "is an all around cleaning spell. Just will whatever you want to be clean and fresh, and maybe have a soft fragrance, say the spell, and it will be clean."

"Great!" Sora exclaimed, eager to get the clothes he was wearing clean for once. "What's the incantation?" As an answer, Merlin pointed his wand at a pile of dirt that was sitting on the cobblestones nearby.

"Scurgify!" he said. A light blue orb formed on the tip of his wand and shot at the dirt. It instantaneously disappeared and Sora looked on in amazement as Merlin turned to his pupils. "Now you try it." Sora nodded and placed his hand over his chest, deeply feeling the want for his clothes to become as clean as when Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had made them, but with the slight smell of cinnamon, and mint.

"Scurgify," he whispered with his eyes closed. He could tell the magic had worked when a soft blue light filtered in through his eyelids and he breathed in the desired scent that now adorned his clothes. Sora stood in silence for a minute, breathing in the air about him like a calming drink and appreciating the newfound softness the fabric had now taken. He slowly opened his eyes when he felt someone's breath on his face and a tug on his vest. Kairi was standing in front of him, almost hanging onto his clothes as she gulped in the scent and rested her head against his soft shoulder.

"Sora," she asked light-heartedly. "How do you smell so good?" Sora chuckled at her and raised her head to kiss her waiting lips.

"Because," he whispered, bending his forehead onto hers, "Your perfume is the nicest fragrance I've ever smelled, and I want to be the best thing you ever smell." Kairi giggled at him and briefly kissed his lips again.

"You're cute when you're all gushy Sora," she whispered. Merlin cleared his throat behind them and they broke up suddenly.

"Now I know you two are in love," he said sternly, but not as sternly as when he talks to Cid, "but if you two are going to learn the advanced magic that I'm about to teach you, you can't break up for a cuddle every five minutes." Sora smiled bashfully at Merlin and rubbed the back of his head while Kairi stepped a few paces away from him and shuffled her boots, beige-green ones similar to Yuffie's that went a quarter of the way up her legs.

"Sorry Merlin," Kairi said. "It's my fault." Merlin nodded his head at her.

"It's quite alright Kairi," he said. "I'll allow it this time because that was a simple spell and when I mentioned that bit about smells it probably would have encouraged either of you." The two teens blushed slightly and glanced at each other. "Now then, are you ready to continue?" Merlin asked. Sora and Kairi looked away from each other and nodded their heads.

"We're ready," Sora declared.

"Excellent," the wizard said and looked up at the sky. "You two did pick a rather inconvenient time to drop by, it's almost dusk." He dropped his gaze and looked back at his pupils. "Now, I'm going to try and teach you two about vanishing and appearing spells before the sun goes down…"

* * *

The day ended quickly as Merlin taught them the magic. Sora and Kairi didn't master the vanishing spell at first and were instructed by Merlin to keep practicing, as they couldn't learn to make an object reappear if they hadn't vanished it in the first place. They strode wearily through the town, searching for a nice place to sup for the night, as Sora wasn't feeling up to cooking. They stopped in front of a café with a striped red and white overhang on the building and a quaint outdoor section. Sora pressed his finger to his ear to contact Max.

"Hey Max," he began.

"Yeah Sora?" came the reply.

"You want to eat out with me and Kairi tonight?" Sora asked pleasantly, the static of the device buzzing in his ear.

"Sure thing, where are you guys?" Kairi placed her finger on her ear to join in.

"We're at the Seventh Heaven," she said.

"Sure thing, I'll be right over." They waited outside on a bench for Max and began talking about the vanishing spell they were supposed to practice for Merlin.

"So, how well did your ruby vanish Kairi?" Sora asked. Kairi shook her head as she brought it out. The ruby was still there, but it was half transparent.

"Not so well," she said with a slight giggle. "I didn't know this magic was going to be so difficult."

"Neither did I," Sora said, protruding his own ruby. It was more significant than Kairi's, but it still had a small degree of transparency.

"Hey Sora?" Kairi asked after a pause. "Why did you pick the Seventh Heaven anyway?" The boy placed his arms behind his head just as they began to make out the figure of Max coming towards them.

"I wanted to introduce you guys to Tifa," he said standing up. "This is her place." Max joined them as Kairi stood up as well and the three of them walked into the Seventh Heaven. There were parlors in front of them in a rectangular fashion, and tables adorning the wings with purple cushions on the chairs and benches. At the back was a bar/kitchen and directly in front of the trio was a pedestal where a girl with brown hair held back by a few pink ribbons was standing.

"Table for three?" the girl asked. The trio nodded. "Do you have a reservation?"

"They don't need a reservation Marlene," they heard someone call. "They're our friends." Sora turned his head to see a girl around twenty with long black hair and wearing a shirt and long skirt, both black, waving at them from the bar. "Welcome Sora," she said as the three of them walked up to the bar and took seats on the barstools.

"How's it going Tifa?" Sora asked as Tifa got him a water. "Found Cloud yet?" Tifa sighed and shook her head.

"Not yet," she said brightly. "I'm heading out soon though to look again, but who are these two?" Tifa turned her attention between Max and Kairi and then looked back at Sora. "He looks like Goofy, but I haven't seen her before."

"Oh right!" Sora said after he took a sip of his water. "This is Max, Goofy's son," Max and Tifa shook hands and Sora wrapped his arm around Kairi, who giggled a little as her water spilled a little on the bar. "And this," Sora continued, gazing into her eyes, "is my girlfriend Kairi." Tifa smiled at them and shook Kairi's hand.

"You're breaking a lot of hearts Sora," Tifa said with her arms crossed. Sora chuckled at her and he squeezed Kairi a little tighter.

"We already did that when we were here a day or two ago," he said, remembering that they had really only spent about three minutes in Neverland. Tifa raised an eyebrow at them and Kairi giggled.

"We kissed in front of a mob of rabid fangirls," she said, giving Sora a quick peck on the cheek. Tifa shook her head at them although she smiled warmly.

"That would do it," she sighed before addressing Kairi herself. "So you're fighting too?"

"Yep," Kairi answered brightly, drawing the Oathkeeper. "I've got my own keyblade." Tifa giggled slightly.

"We can't leave it up to the boys all the time can we?" she asked and Kairi nodded. "I mean, you have your keyblade, Yuffie wields her giant shuriken, Aerith has a quarterstaff, and I use my fists…"

They spent hours in the Seventh Heaven, just talking with Tifa and eating whatever she offered on the house. Tifa seemed to think that it was a great idea for them to open a restaurant after their adventures are over, just as long as it didn't take business away from the Seventh Heaven. After a time, Leon and the whole gang showed up and joined in, and a crowd also drew around them as Sora recounted his tales. He and Kairi had come to the understanding that even though they did not know the situation on the islands, they would be safe because Riku was there.

"And now," he concluded. "We're studying with Merlin for a few days before we continue our journey."

"Remember Sora," Merlin advised, taking a sip of his milkshake. "You and Kairi need to keep practicing that vanishing spell."

"Yeah, yeah," Sora said as he protruded his ruby again and began to concentrate. "Evanesco," he said. Miraculously, the ruby vanished. Kairi beamed at him in admiration, she had already managed to vanish hers while they had been talking to Tifa.

"Look's like things are looking up," she said.

* * *

Riku awoke the next morning with a pang as he remembered the conversation they had had with PJ the previous day and the ensuing planning session the three of them held immediately after. The current plan was not to tell anyone about what was going on, but post watches near the edge of town as a warning system.

_I pity the poor souls who'll be the first line_, he thought as he left early for school, disregarding his parents' remarks about how he should eat breakfast first. Stepping outside of his house, Riku summoned forth Way to the Dawn, its red blade shimmering in the early morning light as the Heartless emblem key-chain dangled from the end. He walked swiftly, barely pausing to exterminate the very few soldier heartless that had appeared to block his way. Soon, a small trickle of students began leaving their homes to get to school, many of them wielding some form of object that could be used as a weapon. Two soldiers suddenly appeared in front of Riku, clacking about in their overlarge iron helmets and boots. Riku smirked as he deftly sliced his keyblade through them faster than an eye can blink. The few followers he had stood stunned as the soldiers disappeared in puffs of darkness, two pink hearts rising into the sky.

_PJ was right_, Riku thought sadly, _Cossex does seem to be lightening the pressure_. A small boy suddenly ran up to Riku.

"Hey!" he said, his face beaming. "That was amazing!" The boy suddenly became rather shy and scuffed his shoes on the cobblestones. "Do you think," he asked shyly, "I could hold your sword, sir?" Riku chuckled at him and knelt down, offering his keyblade to the boy.

_Poor kid_, he thought in shame, though his smile displayed it not, _I only took down two of some of the weakest heartless and he's fawning over me. Whatever she has in store is going to be a million times worse._ Riku told the boy that he had to leave for school and summoned Way to the Dawn back into his hand. The boy didn't seem disappointed though, and he ran off to tell all of his little friends what he had just seen. Riku noticed that those students who had come out of their homes were congregating around him, knowing that they would be safe around him. He sighed and shook his head, heading off for the school again.

Riku arrived without further incident, arriving at the front doors to find Yuffie waiting for him. Together they ushered in the teens that had been following Riku, and as soon as all of them were safely indoors they turned to each other.

"So how was your trip to the school this morning?" Yuffie asked.

"Too easy," Riku replied. "If those guys," he said, meaning the students who had just entered the building, "flock to me for protection when the heartless are this weak, then we're screwed when Cossex finally attacks us."

"Don't think like that!" Yuffie scolded. "We can't let her kill their parents, we just can't." An uncomfortable silence passed between them. "Do you always think like this?" Yuffie asked as she broke the silence. Riku barked a laugh.

"Ever since that summer," he replied. "Maybe Sora's right. Maybe I have been hanging out in darkness for too long." Yuffie strode up to him and poked him in the chest.

"Then it's high time you started living in the realm of light," she ordered. "C'mon," she said cheerily, "let's go inside. I have a class to teach and you have one to go to."

"Yeah, sure," Riku said unsteadily as he rubbed the spot where she poked him. He didn't immediately follow her, as the spot where she had touched felt strange. It didn't hurt, but it felt…weird. As if butterflies were flitting about inside. And what she said was sticking in his mind; he wasn't living in the realm of light, not really. He was used to the darkness, and was unsure about the light. Light revealed things the darkness kept hidden, like emotions that were unknown or whoever might be lurking inside it. Someone like Xehanort's heartless that was still inside him, buried deep down. But one might live in both, in the twilight between light and darkness. Then Riku suddenly remembered something Sora had said that someone else had said to him.

"But who," Riku asked in vain, "carries the light to balance my darkness?" He lifted his head and looked through the main door's windows at the waving figure of Yuffie. Riku strode forward and opened the doors to follow her.

_Maybe… _

* * *

The day passed by quickly on both the Radiant Garden and the Destiny Islands. Sora and Kairi had mastered vanishing and reappearing spells, summoning charms, conjuring (which culminated in Kairi and Merlin arguing for fifteen minutes about the most fundamental law of the universe that matter cannot be created nor destroyed with Merlin winning by correcting Kairi that it was _energy_ that could not be created or destroyed, and matter could be created through using energy. Indeed, that that was how the universe itself was created.), how to cast spells without uttering a single word (which took longer to master than either of them had expected), and the duo had also created a Limit for themselves.

"Excellent!" Merlin said as he clapped his hands after they demonstrated it.

"You two really put a lot of effort into it didn't you?" Tifa asked, as she and the whole gang had stopped by to watch their training. Sora and Kairi nodded heartily, grinning at each other.

"Well," Merlin said. "I think that will be enough for now. You two should be prepared to face anything on your journey." Sora and Kairi bowed.

"Thanks Merlin," Kairi said. Merlin waved her praise off with a flick of his wrist.

"No trouble at all my dear." Leon began rubbing his chin.

"So where are you two planning on heading?" he asked.

"I was thinking of Twilight Town first," Sora announced. "We can see Hayner, Pence, and Olette again. Then Land of Dragons or the Coliseum."

"You might want to add Beast's Castle into the early part of that list," Leon advised. "The king called and said that Maleficent is sending her henchmen out to capture the princesses." Sora, Kairi, and Max nodded their heads.

"Okay," Kairi relented. "We'll go to Twilight Town first, then the Beast's Castle." Leon nodded at them as they walked away after giving their farewells.

"So tell me Mr. Prime Minister," Cid asked after they had vanished from the postern, "why didn't you tell them about the plot on their home Islands?"

"King Mickey said not to tell them," Leon answered. Cid huffed at this news as Merlin stroked his long white beard.

"The King is being very secretive of late," he observed. Sora and company strolled through the town until they eventually found themselves in the marketplace, nearby the place where they had landed the _Highwind_.

"Uh, just a second guys," Sora said hurriedly as he fell back. "I just remembered I have to do something, I'll be right back." Kairi and Max exchanged glances and shrugged before heading up the landing ramp into the ship. Sora ran back through the marketplace until he reached the stall where he bought Kairi's birthday present. He could see that Jessie was still working today.

"Jessie!" Sora called in haste, and she turned her head to see him running flat out to reach her. Sora approached the stall, not even panting for breath. "Is it ready?" As an answer Jessie reached under the counter and pulled the pendant out and placed it in Sora's hand.

"Does it look ready?" Jessie asked humourously. Sora turned the pendant over in his hand. The engravings in the slightly pink metal were perfectly crafted, the words in sharp contrast to the smooth exterior. Jessie smiled at him. "She must be a very lucky girl to have someone like you," she commented. Sora shook his head and briefly muttered 'evanesco' under his breath. Jessie's eyes grew wide as she saw the pendant disappear in a white shimmer.

"No," Sora said as he brought his head up to look at Jessie before he walked off. "I'm a very lucky guy to have a girl like her."

* * *

Riku had another tiring day. It wasn't tough, just boring. He had aced a math test, actually gotten high marks on the Biology essay, beat everyone in a track race while stopping to take out a few heartless that had made an appearance on the track, and floored everybody in his weapons training class, which was now being taught by Yuffie and Axel as all the other teachers of that course had been called out by Seymour to patrol the streets. The mayor still had no idea that his daughter's enemy was gathering on his doorstep as the King had requested, and nearly everybody else was beginning to think that the crisis was abating as fewer and fewer heartless appeared throughout the day.

"I'll give it one more day," Axel told to Riku in his block two class. "One more day of calm, then she'll hit us with everything at night." Riku had looked skeptically at him.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. Axel barked a laugh at him.

"I was a Nobody and I was under Xemnas, I know how they think. Got it memorized?" Yuffie, though she hid the fact that she was worried very easily from her pupils, was of similar mind.

"She'll attack us soon," she whispered to Riku after the class was over. "And they aren't ready to take it." Riku grabbed her upper arm and forced her to look at him.

"Look at me," he ordered. "We already have me thinking this way, we don't need another me." Yuffie suddenly nestled herself in the crook of his shoulder and Riku was surprised at how well she fit there. He stood startled for a few moments before he began stroking her back comfortingly. "Shush," he shushed quietly. "We'll get through this, we aren't going to die, and neither are Sora and Kairi's parents."

"That's not what I'm afraid of," Yuffie said quietly, her brown eyes full of worry. "I'm not afraid of us dying, I'm just afraid of seeing someone else young like us die."

* * *

The next afternoon the _Highwind_ landed by the train station in Twilight Town and the three teens inside walked out into the perpetual twilight. The place was exactly as Sora had remembered it, the brickwork of the buildings, the giant clock tower on the station, and the great sun stuck in dusk, despite it being the middle of the day. The three walked swiftly through Market Street towards the Back Alley, where a hanging red carpet concealed the entrance to the Usual Spot where the Twilight Town gang hung out. Sora pulled back the curtain and walked in to see a spiky blonde, blue-eyed boy wearing camo jeans and a gray shirt sitting up on a radiator, a girl with short brown hair, green eyes and wearing a white flower patterned orange shirt and gray shorts sitting on a red loveseat, and a boy with yellow eyes, black hair held above his head by a black headband, and wearing a red jersey and blue jeans relaxing on a blue armchair. The Usual Spot itself was a golden colour, with posters stuck up here and there and a dartboard stuck up on the wall and a couple of wooden swords also rested in the corner. The three teens inside looked up and smiled excitedly as Sora entered, closely followed by Kairi.

"You guys made it back," the one wearing a jersey said as the girl leapt up and embraced Kairi.

"Of course we did Pence," Sora said as the girl released Kairi and gave Sora a hug as well.

"We were worried about you," the girl said after she let go of Sora as Max was walking in. "Especially after that guy with spiky red hair took you away Kairi."

"Don't worry Olette," Kairi said. "I'm perfectly fine now." Sora looked at his girlfriend and they both grinned at each other. The blonde one raised an eyebrow as he looked between their faces.

"Is there anything that happened between the two of you that we should know about?" he asked. Kairi smirked as she slowly paced towards Sora.

"Now that you mention it Hayner," she said delicately. Kairi nestled herself into the crook in Sora's shoulder, and despite the fact that they were the same height she fit in perfectly and Kairi pecked his cheek. "What does this tell you happened?" she finished her sentence as she looked at the three she had briefly met. Olette's emerald eyes melted as she cupped her hands together and placed them by her cheek.

"I knew you two would get together after you told us your story Kairi," she sighed dreamily. Max cleared his throat to clarify his presence.

"Hello," he said in a humourously annoyed tone, he had learned to live with Sora and Kairi's behaviour after a while, "third wheel here, and waiting to be introduced." Sora smiled apologetically and Kairi blushed a little, they had both forgotten to introduce him.

"Sorry Max," Sora said. "Hayner, Pence, Olette," Sora said indicating each of them respectively, "this is our friend Max." Max stepped forward and shook hands with the three teens from Twilight Town.

"And before you ask," Max said quickly. "Yes Goofy is my father."

"So Max," Hayner asked suddenly, "you ever struggled before?" Max looked inquiringly at him, as if silently saying 'struggled?' Hayner chuckled at him. "It's a fighting sport we have here in town…" Hayner explained as he dragged Max off towards the sandlot.

"Hey there's a tournament today," Pence said. "Maybe you should sign up Sora." Sora mulled it over for a second and looked at Pence.

"Alright," he said. "On one condition," he then turned to look at Kairi, "Kairi joins in too." She smiled at him and took his arm.

"I'd be happy to."

* * *

Seymour, Janet, and Anne were all in the mayor's office. Half celebrating the apparent withdraw of heartless, half wondering where their children were.

"I think I should change my position's name," Seymour announced.

"And why would you do that?" Anne asked with a chuckle.

"When was the last time a mayor governed the defense of his town?" He returned smugly. Seeing Janet's smiling face he continued. "I think, that instead of Mayor Seymour, I should be Maestor Seymour. Sounds more impressive I think." Suddenly the dedicated line that went to Axel and Yuffie's command center rang.

"_Maestor _Seymour speaking, what is it?" Seymour said as he answered it. Anne and Janet looked on in inquiry as Seymour nodded his head and muttered 'uh-huh' several times. "Right, get on with it." He set the receiver down and looked at the two women in his office.

"What is it?" Janet asked, concerned.

"Heartless have been spotted on the RADAR, just outside of town."

* * *

Riku was running through the streets, Way to the Dawn drawn as the afternoon sun beat down on him and the fifteen boys he had at his back. Rounding a corner, Riku found himself near the outskirts where Yuffie and Axel were waiting with fifty some odd around them.

"What's the plan Yuffie?" he asked as he dashed up to them, those who were following joining the ranks. Yuffie scooted over a little to show him the screen she and Axel were hovering over.

"This computer has a direct uplink to our screen in the control room," Axel stated as Riku looked at it. "Right now we're looking here, at the northern section of town, where the heartless are marching towards us." Indeed, on the screen there were hundreds of little red dots, almost a solid mass of red, about two klicks away to the north, with them were two orange dots. And where they stood there was a very small mass of green that resembled them, and three blue dots all huddled in one spot. Riku zoomed out to view the whole map and saw that there were at least twenty more green dots hastening towards their location, and three yellow ones in the mayor's office.

"Green is for ally," Yuffie explained. "Blue is us three, yellow are our VIPs, red is enemy, duh, orange are enemy bosses, and a purple dot will be Cossex, but she hasn't shown up yet." Riku gritted his teeth as he watched the heartless slowly come closer and a few more green dots arrive and join the mass.

"She'll wait until we're exhausted," Riku growled. "There's going to be no end to this."

"Oh there'll be an end," Axel said with a maniac gleam in his teal eyes. Fire erupted around his palms and his two flaming red, spiky chakrams appeared in his hands. "The end will come when we've destroyed them all!"

"Hey Riku, Miss Yuffie, Mr. Axel!" Tidus yelled as he ran up with Wakka, the Blitz team, and the rest of his W.T. class. "What do you want us to do?" Everyone else leaned in and began paying attention, this was going to be the fight of their lives and they needed to know what they had to do.

"Alright," Axel said quickly as he partially zoomed the screen back in on the northern section of town. The heartless were approaching, fast. They were only a kilometer and a half away and nobody was defending the northern flank! "Yuffie and Riku will take the front up here," he said, pointing at the most northern section of town, closest to the approaching red mass. "I'll lay back here to try and determine which way the battle is going and join in if necessary. Tidus, you and your group will hold this section…" Yuffie grabbed Riku's arm and pulled him away from the scheming Axel.

"C'mon," she said, shouldering her shuriken, "we're the front line." Riku nodded and swiftly followed her figure, weaving through the buildings as they hastened to their position. Sliding his back against the side of a store that was the last building facing north Riku glanced out at the oncoming army of heartless and his eyes widened.

Not all of them were heartless.

There were standard heartless varieties: armoured knights, soldiers, shadows, large bodies, lance soldiers, bronze figures that wielded cursed lances that poked fun at the individual soldier, and guard dogs. But there were also stronger ones Riku hadn't seen in a long time such as Invisibles, tall hulking black heartless that floated above the ground and wielded large swords, and at least two Behemoths, the giant purple rhino-like heartless with a horn atop their heads. This enough would have been enough cause for concern, but there were Nobodies as well. Dancers flitted about in the front ranks, with dusks making their strange walk behind them and berserkers were intermixed within the whole army.

Riku took all of this in within a few seconds and he withdrew his head and cursed.

"Shit," he breathed. "We're all going to die." Yuffie looked over at him from the building she was hiding behind having observed the army herself.

"Riku," she said shakily. "Despite Cossex's orders not to kill us, if this is our last day alive," Yuffie's voice suddenly caught and she became unsure if she was going to continue. Riku raised an eyebrow and pressed her onwards. "If this is our last day alive," Yuffie repeated and she raised her head to meet his eyes, "I'm glad to have known you." Riku was stunned as he stared at the suddenly cute girl before him. He had wrestled within himself about how he felt about her and he realized that she felt the same way. Riku suddenly found his feet disobeying conscious thought and moving across the road towards Yuffie. She backed away, slightly nervous as Riku suddenly grabbed her hands with his.

"I," Riku said, suddenly finding his tongue extremely dry. "I feel the same." Both their faces slowly came together and their lips touched, creating magic between them. Riku deepened into to moment as Yuffie began kissing him back while their lips were locked. After what seemed like an eternity they broke the kiss.

"Wow," Yuffie breathed quietly as she smiled up at Riku. "I had no idea you felt," she suddenly stopped as her emotions took over and she threw her arms around his neck and began kissing him again. Another eternity passed as they kissed until they finally came apart.

"Yuffie," Riku asked quietly, taking her hand, "will you be my girlfriend?" Yuffie giggled at him.

"I will, oh pie lover." Riku grinned and suddenly swung around and blocked a lance soldier's lance from skewering him with his reappearing keyblade. Riku kicked the lance's shaft away and stabbed the heartless right through the center and it vanished in a puff of smoke and a fiery pink heart. A dancer approached him and Riku jumped up to avoid it grabbing him by the ankles. He twirled through the air and sliced his keyblade right through its head, taking out the armoured knight that was behind it as well in flashes of white and black.

"Hey Yuffie," he called after he landed and began to vanquish foes left and right. "What was that you said about dying?" Yuffie snarled as she threw several regular sized shuriken right into the bodies of several dusks and soldiers.

"Fuck death," she steamed. "I'm going to live." Riku grinned as he watched Yuffie throw her trademark shuriken around like a boomerang, slicing the heads off of Nobodies and Heartless alike only for them to disappear in flashes of white and black. But he didn't have time to watch for long as a lone berserker came up in front of him and tried to smack him with its claymore. Riku rolled around on the ground to get behind it and leapt up, cleaving through it with Way to the Dawn's blade. As soon as it disappeared Riku felt his knees buckle from a shockwave as one of the two behemoths approached to squash them like bugs. It lowered its head to skewer them with its large black horn that was covered in a blue mist.

"Yuffie!" Riku ordered. "Attack the horn! That's its weak point!" Yuffie nodded as she blocked a blow an Invisible was making at her with its long blue sword with her shuriken. As it recoiled she pulled a dagger out of her belt and leapt up, running the blade through its head. As the Invisible faded Yuffie sheathed the dagger and threw her shuriken at the behemoth's horn. It circled around, constantly whacking the barrier away from the horn until there was nothing left. The heartless fell onto its knees, stunned.

"Hope that helped," Yuffie said as she grabbed her weapon back and began melee fighting with it and her dagger. Riku leapt right up at the horn and sliced it clean off with a great slash from his keyblade. The behemoth roared as it exploded in darkness, a giant heart rising into the sky. Riku turned around to see some of the heartless escaping past them and heading into the town. He raised his palm and sent black and blue fireballs out of his fingertips towards them, incinerating the heartless.

"Yuffie?" he asked as he turned his attention back to the foes in front. "How do you like your heartless, skewered or sliced?" She giggled at him as she stabbed her dagger right through an armoured knight's head, twirled it around in her palm and stabbed in through a soldier's helmet that was behind her.

"I prefer minced," she joked as she sent her shuriken flying again, ripping anything in its path to shreds.

It was going to be one hell of an afternoon.

* * *

"The rules of the tournament are as follows," the struggle promoter in the Sandlot of Twilight Town said. "Each combatant will have one hundred orbs, totaling two hundred for the match. All you have to do is hit your opponent with your weapon and they will drop orbs. The one with the most orbs at the end of the one-minute time limit is the winner, or if either combatant can gather all two hundred orbs they automatically win. If either combatant falls out of the ring, they are automatically disqualified." Everyone in the Sandlot nodded in understanding and the struggle promoter handed each of the eight contestants a blue bat with a golden grip, and wished them luck.

"So," Sora said as he turned to Kairi and Max, "who are you fighting in the first round?"

"I'm fighting some guy named Rai," she said confidently. Sora grinned.

"Rai's kinda slow," he said. "It should be an easy fight."

"I've got some guy named Setzer," Max spoke. Sora nodded at him.

"Setzer is an okay opponent," he commented. "But he's no match for you Max."

"Hey, chicken wuss," someone taunted behind them. Sora, Kairi, and Max turned around to see a boy wearing a black toque, blue jeans, and white vest holding an ornate blue trophy with four crystals, blue, red, green, and yellow on it. "Remember this?" he asked. "I gave it to you last time you were here, but I'm winning it back."

"In your dreams Seifer," Sora challenged. Two people came up from behind Seifer and posed before Sora and Kairi. One was a tanned boy with black hair wearing a red shirt, and the other was a girl with violet-white hair wearing a lilac shirt and short beige jeans.

"Do you know them Sora?" Kairi asked, looking at the three. He nodded his head at her.

"Remember when I was telling everyone about Seifer, Rai, and Fuu?" he asked as he raised his hand towards them. "These are them."

"Yeah! You don't mess with us y'know?" Rai said, baring his fist in front of her. "And I'm going to beat you in the first round y'know?" Kairi glared Rai down.

"No," she replied icily. "I don't know. And for the record, you won't have any balls left to count when I'm through with you." Olette gasped as Kairi stalked away from Seifer and his gang, who were thoroughly stunned. Despite the fact that Sora and Hayner weren't Axel, they still took the moment to say something people all across the worlds say whenever someone counters with a line like that.

"BURN!"

"All right folks," the struggle announcer and weapon shop proprietor said. "Welcome to this weekend's struggle tournament. Remember everyone; this is the last chance of the year to vie for the coveted Four Crystal Trophy before the big Struggle tournament in the summer. The winner of this tournament wins the trophy, that's bragging rights for almost a whole year folks." He then turned his blonde head to the combatants. "Now let's meet today's entrants. The eight worthy strugglers who will face each other in the ring. For our first match we have the beautiful Kairi, now don't kill anyone Sora," he paused for laughs as Sora waved it off, receiving a friendly punch on the shoulder from Hayner and a quick smile from Kairi, "gracefully facing off against the hulking Rai. (I'm gonna own it, y'know?). In the second match we have defending champion Seifer fighting one of his own boys, let's give it up for Vivi!" Sora began clapping as Vivi, a very small boy who wore a blue trench coat and a large brown hat that enveloped his face in shadow, began happily waving at everyone as Seifer scowled. "In our third round we have outsider Max going up against the former champion Setzer." Max looked nervously at a man with silver hair in a purple cloak showing off for waving fangirls when the announcer's voice drew his attention again. "And our final match in the first round will be adventurer and Master of the Keyblade Sora facing underground favourite and local attitude problem, Hayner!" Sora and Hayner faced each other and pounded the other's outstretched fists.

"Good luck man," Hayner said and Sora nodded.

"Yeah," said he, "you too."

"Would Kairi and Rai please come up to the ring?" the announcer asked. "As the first match is about to begin." Kairi stepped forward and leapt up onto the square platform as Rai mounted the steps. She turned to see Sora blowing her a kiss and she caught it, placing it on her lips. They both grinned at each other and Kairi saw Sora whisper 'good luck'. She nodded at him and turned to face Rai.

_This is so weird_, Sora heard in his head as Kairi and Rai faced off.

_What's weird Roxas?_

_Just, being back in Twilight Town_, he said telepathically as Kairi flew forward at Rai, striking him right in the gut with a crosswise blow which sent him staggering as yellow orbs began flying about. _I mean,_ Roxas continued, _while Naminé was putting your memories back I felt as if I was living my life out here. And now no one here even knows me._

_Everyone knows you Roxas_, Sora thought as Kairi whacked Rai on the back with her struggle bat, sending the last of Rai's orbs flying and Rai reeling to the ground. _Well,_ Sora compromised, _not everyone here. But everyone in the virtual Twilight Town knows you._

_Could we go there?_ Roxas asked in wonder.

_If we have time,_ Sora thought. _I'd actually like to get introduced to the Hayner, Pence, and Olette that you know. But if we don't have time this time here, I promise you that you will get there before the end of this journey._

_It's okay if we don't go now,_ Roxas said. _But as long as we get there sometime soon. I'd like to introduce them to Naminé._ Sora chuckled at his Nobody's response as he watched Kairi place her bat at Rai's chin in victory.

_I bet you would Roxas,_ he thought.

Vivi lost the next round by a score of one hundred seventy-three to fifteen, as there were still some orbs lying on the ground. And Max conquered his initial fear of Setzer, whose taunt of 'My life is a chip I your pile, time to ante up' shook Max, but he came back in an effective comeback to collect all two hundred orbs. The announcer then called Sora and Hayner into the ring and they squared each other off before flying into the fray. Sora Quick Ran straight for Hayner and lunged at his figure, throwing in an upper slash for good measure to send Hayner flying into the air as red orbs scattered on the ground. Sora leapt up and continually slashed Hayner in the air, sending him flying back into the center of the ring. Hayner landed in a daze and Sora ran about, grabbing the orbs up as fast as he could. Hayner recovered and came after Sora, his struggle bat moving in a blinding fury. Sora met his bat with his own, but his was faster and after four circling parries Sora hit Hayner again on the ribs and the last of the red orbs came off and stuck themselves to Sora, making him the winner. The crowd cheered and Kairi whistled as Sora raised his bat into the air.

"Good match man," Hayner said, not at all surprised that he had lost. "I knew there was no way I could take you."

"Hey," Sora said comfortingly as he placed a hand on Hayner's shoulder. "You improved a lot since the last time we struggled."

"How would you know?" Hayner asked skeptically as he crossed his arms. "You knocked me off in only fifteen seconds."

"Trust me Hayner," Sora replied. "I know you did. Next struggle match between you and Seifer, you're taking the cake."

"Well," Hayner said as he rubbed his chin while they descended the platform and stood amongst their friends, "I do love cake."

"You were amazing Sora," Pence said.

"And now commences the semifinal round," the announcer began. "Would Kairi and Seifer please step into the ring?" Kairi stepped forward and climbed up into the square again, going up the stairs is just too time consuming after all. Seifer was already waiting for her, his bat poised in front of him like the barrel of a pistol.

"Kneel loser!" he taunted. Kairi's blue eyes suddenly blazed and she gave Seifer a death-glare, which he surprisingly resisted.

"Nobody calls me a loser!" Kairi snapped, a snarl curling on her upper lip. Without warning she shot forwards and threw all her power into a slash at Seifer's bat. It contacted with a resounding crack as it not only took it out of Seifer's hand, but broke the bat in half as well. Before he could even be put in shock Kairi kicked him in the gut, hard. Seifer staggered back as a few green orbs dropped off and he suddenly found himself on the ground outside of the ring.

"I," the announcer stuttered, "I'm not quite sure what just happened. But the winner is Kairi! Would Sora and Max now like to step into the ring?" Max suddenly looked at Sora as Kairi leapt down to their level.

"Do you fight as well as Roxas?" Max asked. Sora nodded.

"We're one and the same," he responded.

"Right," Max said, nodding his head. "I forfeit," Max abruptly said. Sora and the gang were stunned.

"You sure?" Hayner asked. Max nodded his head.

"There is no possible way anyone here in this tournament could beat either Sora or Kairi," he said before shrugging his shoulders and grinning evilly. "So if I forfeit, that just speeds everything up to the climactic battle between the two lovers."

"He's right you know," Kairi said to Sora. "You would win, hands down."

"Well then," the announcer, who had been listening in to their conversation said. "Would you two like to step into the ring then?" Sora and Kairi nodded and walked forward together. The struggle promoter came up to them and presented them with two new bats.

"You two play fair now," he said. "You're at the top of the bracket." Sora and Kairi took the bats, glanced at each other, and tossed them over their heads. The Oathkeeper appeared in Kairi's hand the same time the Oblivion appeared in Sora's and they squared off, the promoter getting the heck out of the way.

"Just like on the islands eh Kairi?" Sora asked as he gripped the Oblivion. She nodded her head.

"Remember our training Sora?" she asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I won't hold back." Sora nodded and braced himself as she flew forward with the Oathkeeper. He raised his keyblade upwards to parry her downward slash and struck at her side, Kairi twirling around to dodge and swinging her blade up near his neck, which Sora twitched to avoid and he brought his own blade in a horizontal slash at her side. Kairi's keyblade struck his own and both blades recoiled. The two back-flipped over to gain some distance and Sora wordlessly released a volley of ice shards at Kairi, who countered by raising a fire shield around herself. While he was partially blocked by the flames, Sora leapt up into the air and landed on Kairi's other side, and struck at her leather armour through the shield when his blade met steel with a clang. Kairi grinned at him as she dropped the encircling flames.

"I know you far better than for that to work Sora," she said as she threw his keyblade off of hers and struck at his midriff. Sora went flat onto the ground before the blow could be struck and aimed an attack against Kairi's booted ankles. She leapt back to dodge the strike and sent a thunderbolt down from the sky towards Sora. He looked up and rolled in the nick of time to dodge it. Sora looked up again and instinctively used a reflega spell to ground the charge from another bolt into the platform. Before either could do more, the buzzer sounded indicating that the time limit had been reached.

"Well that was quite a show!" the announcer said. "I guess for the first time ever we have two champions. Give them both the trophy!" Sora and Kairi grinned as Hayner and the gang grabbed the four crystal trophy and ran up to present it to them, as well as lifting the two up onto their shoulders. The crowd cheered as they lifted their keyblades into the air and kissed briefly, off to celebrate their taking the cup by storm.

"So what is this?" Sora asked her. "Three draws and no wins for either of us?"

* * *

Riku panted and wiped sweat from his brow after he swiped Way to the Dawn through yet another armoured knight. He and Yuffie had been fighting alone in the north for hours as it had now grown into the night, never hearing a word from any other person on their side, never seeing a sign if the tide was relenting, and never gaining any rest or reinforcements.

It was hell.

Riku panted again and heaved his blade right through an invisible, before swinging it around and striking a berserker in the back before it could attack Yuffie. She muttered hurried thanks before she hacked a shadow to pieces with her dagger. Riku suddenly felt pain on his shoulder as a guard dog bit him. He turned on the dog and ran his blade through its mouth and out the top of its blue head before wearily blocking an armoured knight's sword from slicing open his ribs and defeating it too.

_There's no end to this_, he though glumly. Fire suddenly erupted in front of him and created a wall that protected him and Yuffie from the rest of the heartless and nobodies.

"Nice job you guys," Axel said as he stepped out from behind the building they had initially started the battle from.

"It better have been a nice job," Yuffie panted as Riku sprayed both of their accumulated wounds with potions.

"Well, let's see here," Axel said as the flames that momentarily separated them from the horde crackled. "You two held off the heartless from reaching anyone else for fifteen minutes. Then they just circled around you two and became a mass enveloping the town. We've lost at least thirty to the heartless, at least ten are actually straight dead, and Cossex hasn't even bothered to attack you two yet. She just went right by you guys and hit Tidus, the Blitz team, and our block four class." Riku and Yuffie gasped at this horrendous news.

"Has she hit our VIPs yet?" Riku asked. Axel shook his head.

"Not yet," he said glumly. "She killed John and Brittany, and then she used her powers to make the rest writhe in agony for ten minutes as heartless swept by them, stealing hearts from Fred, George, and two others on the team. Right now she's having fun destroying the town with a few behemoths and an honor guard of invisibles and berserkers." Yuffie leaked out a tear.

"But wait!" she exclaimed. "I thought Riku and I took out the behemoths!"

"How many did you destroy?" Axel asked.

"Well," Riku answered. "Two, but we've only seen two." Axel shook his head sadly.

"There are sixteen in total. Got it memorized?" This news left the two teens standing in a state of shock. Riku looked out towards the town. He suddenly became aware of the sounds of screams, explosions, fires and alarms. Parts of the city were burning and explosions kept peppering the place, even as far out as the small island. He could barely see Cossex standing atop a shoulder of one of the behemoths that was breaking the city, her blue hair waving in the wind as she laughed, a strained sound coming from her lips like she was forcing herself to laugh, while causing the explosions and many of the screams. She lifted her arms and suddenly the mountain upon the small island exploded, sending shockwaves throughout the province. The buildings they were standing next to suddenly cracked and the three of them threw themselves out of the way just in time to avoid being flattened.

"How?" Yuffie spluttered, tears choking her words. "How did she get so many heartless?"

"They gather hearts from every living creature," Riku growled as he helped her up. "And multiply. If she was breeding them outside of town she had plenty of bugs to donate hearts to the cause."

"Come on!" Axel roared as he leapt to his feet. "We need to get to the maestor's office pronto! We're the only hope for them now." On that note the three of them sprinted through the wreckage, stopping now and then to gather any of their surviving warriors to follow them and eliminate the heartless that ran rampant through the broken streets. They ran up to a teen carrying a crystal blue sword who had a disheartened following behind him, one of them wielding a blitzball.

"Tidus!" Riku yelled as he recognized the teen. Tidus turned around at Riku's voice and his face filled with hope.

"Riku," he breathed. "And Miss Yuffie! We thought you were dead."

"It's going to take more than heartless and nobodies to stop us Tidus," Yuffie said. "Come with us," she ordered. "We're heading for the maestor's office. It's imperative we stop Cossex!"

"What, you mean the bitch who killed John and Brittany and caused us to lose half the team to those heartless?" Wakka roared. "Let's make her a goner!"

"Aye!" his party agreed, and the whole group was running flat out towards where the office stood. Thankfully they arrived before Cossex, who was still out destroying for sport, and set up a perimeter with their twelve troops around the office to hopefully hold out against an attack. Riku turned as he heard the door open, and contorted his face into one of disbelief as he saw Seymour, Janet, and Anne striding out.

"Get back inside!" he ordered sternly. "It isn't safe for you out here!"

"Riku," Anne said slowly as her gaze dropped. "We just saw one of those things' feet crush your house. Your parents were still inside." Riku felt as if his heart stopped as he just stood stunned, staring at the three parents of his best friends. He could feel Yuffie's hand on his shoulder, but didn't hear her condolences.

"How," he choked out. "How do you know?" Janet lifted her bowed head to reveal shining tears.

"We were talking on the phone with them," she said shakily. "When all of a sudden we heard a crashing sound and the phone…" she became too emotional to continue and she made a motion instead with her finger across her neck. Riku suddenly felt wetness across his cheeks and placed a hand to his aqua eyes to find that he was crying.

He didn't care anymore, and he let the tears fall as he wept freely.

"Oh, how emotional." Riku whipped around, wiping the tears from his eyes to see a blue haired woman wearing a black coat with silver chains hanging from it standing in front of them.

"Cossex!" he spat. Everyone who hadn't seen her suddenly ran forward and surrounded her, poised to strike. Cossex laughed at their feeble attempt to appear imposing to her.

"Why, I can't think I've ever had a better reception," she said sarcastically. "Good thing I've brought people with me." She snapped her fingers and eight invisibles appeared around her, holding their long blue swords out in front of them. The teachers and teenage warriors began to back away in concern, but Riku, Yuffie, and Axel held their ground. "Fight," Cossex proposed, "and all of you except you three," she pointed out the three warriors of light, "will die, orders you know. Surrender, and unfortunately only most of your lives will be spared," she then looked emotionlessly at Seymour, Janet, and Anne. "Orders you know."

"What are you going to do?" Seymour asked, trying his best to sound courageous. Cossex laughed quietly at him.

"It's something you don't need to be concerned much about," she said as her invisible guard slowly advanced. "I'm just going to kill you. Now would you like the slow, painful death, or the quick and easy kind? Your soul will dwell with Grenth either way."

"You won't lay a finger on them!" Riku threatened menacingly, brandishing Way to the Dawn in front of him. Cossex sighed and shook her head.

"Well," she said to herself. "I tried." Riku raised his eyebrow inquiringly at Cossex. Something about the way she said that had him wondering. She then slowly raised her arms and pointed them at Riku and Yuffie, who were guarding Seymour, Janet, and Anne. "Mind Crush!"

Riku howled in agony as he fell to the ground, Way to the Dawn vanishing and Yuffie falling beside him. It was worse than the worst migraine he'd ever had, like a hundred times worse. It was all he could do to register that the three he was supposed to be protecting and that the girl he liked were all cowering on the ground with him. Suddenly things began to flash through his mind. They didn't cause any physical pain, but they hurt worse. He saw the crushed and mangled bodies of his parents, Sora and Kairi lying on bloodstained grass, dismembered, and Yuffie, so hacked up that could barely tell that it was Yuffie. The only clues being the red headband, and bloodstained flower pattern on the lower half of a black shirt. He tried to forcibly remind himself not to imagine that, that it wasn't real. He forcibly opened his eyes, looking up at the Thought Crusher in pain and anger. Cossex quickly waved her arms around in a circle, causing everyone else present to drop to the ground in agony. She strode up to Michael as he lay on the ground, drawing from nowhere a gleaming silver axe with a red haft and golden pommel. From the tip of the haft a spike protruded near to the blade. Cossex kept her smirk as she forcefully grabbed Michael and lifted him to his feet, his fearful face greeting her.

"Do you fear death?" she asked him. Michael nodded fiercely, staring into her unblinking eyes. He found no mercy in them. "Take comfort in where you're going, it's better than losing your heart." She sliced off his right arm with her axe, forcing him to lose his sword in the process. His shriek of pain echoed grimly through Riku's mind.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled in agony and shock. "She just cut off my arm!"

"Next is your head," Cossex growled as she slashed her axe at his neck. Michael snapped his head back and the axe was only able to slit his throat, but death still came to the boy.

"Holy Shit!" a random boy who happened to be walking by with two friends yelled in a highly muffled voice. Cossex turned on him and threw her axe with a roar. The axe embedded in his skull as the kid fell down dead.

"Oh my God!" one of them yelled. "She killed Kenny!"

"You bastard!" the other one insulted. Cossex stiffened as she retrieved her axe.

"Shut up," she said as she slew the two of them. She then turned around and strode past the writhing figures of Yuffie, Axel and their band to stop in front of the keyblade heroes' parents. Riku's eyes followed her as he forced one of his knees up so he was crouched with one foot flat against the ground. "And now you must be killed," Cossex said, directing her voice at the three parents. She moved in front of Anne first and stopped for a moment to taunt her.

"Mother of Sora," she began. "You have a stout heart, much like your son." She then plunged the spike of her axe into Anne's right side and Anne let out a blood-curdling scream. Cossex removed her axe and stuck the spike back into Anne's body, this time right into her heart. "But he has a princess to protect him," she continued, wrenching her tip back out. Anne jerked spastically for another second before she sighed out her last breath. Cossex turned and stood before Janet's weeping and cringing figure.

"Foster mother of Kairi," she began, before swinging her axe blade and cutting into Janet's back and heart. "Just die quickly." Cossex left Janet and turned to Seymour. "Foster father of Kairi," she said, preparing to swing her axe to decapitate him.

"NO!" Riku yelled in horror as he threw his keyblade at Cossex. Cossex turned and the blade passed her by, clattering on the bloodstained cobblestones. Seymour flipped onto his back and began to scuttle away, making a bid for freedom. Cossex heard him movements though and turned back. Her face curled into a snarl and she ran Seymour through with the spike. He looked up at her in shock before collapsing on the ground, gasping for breath. Cossex turned and looked at Riku, Axel, and Yuffie.

"Nice job defending them," she said sarcastically before opening a portal and withdrawing. Once inside the portal she let it close behind her. Confident that none could see or hear her, Cossex let her axe go and bent down, looking at her bloodstained hands in pain.

"It should not have been this way," she stuttered out, sickened. "My heart isn't worth this much pain."

Riku and the others barely noticed that all the heartless and nobodies began to fade away. All Riku could tell was that his head no longer hurt, and with that in mind ran forward to Seymour's side. He looked like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth in a vain attempt for air, and the wound Cossex had given him went deep into his gut.

"Ri- Ri-ku," he breathed out, looking at the silver-haired teenager with his last moments of life.

"Yes, what is it?" Riku choked out, tears streaming from his aqua eyes. Seymour began crying tears of sympathy for him.

"Tell them to look after each other," Seymour said with his last breaths. "They're all they have now. And tell Kairi," Seymour began to make a death rattle and he knew his time was nigh, "tell Kairi I love her…" Seymour's head slumped back and Riku wept and retched as the howling sounds of mourning and grief rose into the night.

They were beaten, they had lost.

Sora and Kairi were going to kill them.

* * *

_And let the flaming commence. I'm sorry everyone, I had to kill them, just as J.K. Rowling had to kill off Sirius Black and Albus Percival Wulfric Brain Dumbledore. And the best part is, Sora and Kairi are completely oblivious._

_I hate this one. I just hate it. Go read the re-written one! There are some characters in that one that weren't created during the original writing, but that doesn't matter. I wrote the Destiny Islands scenes a thousand times better in that one._

_Please leave a review, and if you have the heart to continue, please read and review my next chapters as well._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	15. Lovers' Leap

_Yuffie: You killed them, you killed them all._

_Cossex: Many of you may not be able to tell from the performance I gave in that last chapter, but I did not like doing that._

_Shire Folk: Don't worry all. I became spiritually ill after writing the last chapter, and I am never killing off a protagonist or someone good connected to them again, except for one person (eyes a certain pirate captain)._

_Capt. Jack Sparrow: OY! What you looking at me for mate?_

_Shire: Nothing. (Turns his head to look at Riku) Riku?_

_Riku: Sure. Shire Folk does not own Kingdom Hearts, because if he did, Yuffie and I wouldn't have gotten together last chapter, and our parents wouldn't all be dead. He also only owns the plot and his own original characters, some of which are already dead._

_Seymour: Yeah, I resent being a cadaver. _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XV: Lover's Leap

Riku retched as he looked around at the scene he beheld. The town was completely destroyed; the bodies of the parents were behind him, poor Michael was dead with his arm beside him, and four of the others he had had with him were mysteriously gone.

There was nothing left for them here, only death.

Yuffie slowly approached him as Riku stood and grabbed his shoulder.

"There's nothing left Riku," she said, tears shining in her eyes. "We must evacuate the surviving islanders to another world."

"But which one?" Axel asked as he stood up as well. "Disney Castle is the only true safe haven left, but the sight of the inhabitants might freak out half the islanders."

"We could go to Twilight Town," Riku suggested. "I always felt like it was a home away from home when I was there with DiZ."

"Or maybe the Radiant Garden," Selphie put in as she rose to join them. "I've always wanted to see your home world Miss Yuffie."

"One problem though," Yuffie said as she turned to Selphie. "We don't have a whole lot of empty room there right now. And I heard from Leon that the heartless attacked it and destroyed part of the Bailey again, despite Sora, Kairi, and Max's help." Tidus looked up hopefully.

"You mean Sora and Kairi are there?" Tidus asked eagerly. "No more questions, let's go there now." Riku raised a hand to silence him.

"Hold up," he said. "One, they could be anywhere by now. Two, we need to talk to Leon and probably the mayor of Twilight Town first. And three, we need to know just how many people we have left on the Islands."

"No problem," Axel said as he brought his hands together. "I'll just create a beacon here, people will flock to it, then we'll make a head count." He pointed his hands skywards and jets of sparks rocketed forth. All that remained on the Destiny Islands took heart as they saw the beacon of sparks and slowly came forwards. By morning all the survivors had been found and rounded up in a green field outside of the destroyed town and a tally was made in the early morning light.

One hundred and eighty-three.

"How can this be?" Yuffie asked with tears staining her cheeks. "When we came to the islands we were told the population was around two thousand!"

"I guess Cossex is more terrible than we know," Riku sighed as he held her.

"There's no use beating around the bush," Axel said as he brought up the communications equipment. "We need to decide where to transport everybody, and since we haven't been told what to do, we have to consult King Mickey and the heads of the Radiant Garden and Twilight Town." He activated the equipment and began contacting the King. The screen suddenly flashed to life as an image of King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, once again on the bridge of the _Avenger_, appeared.

"Your Majesty," Axel, Riku, and Yuffie said, bowing their heads. "We've failed. Sora and Kairi's parents are dead. As well as most of the island's inhabitants." The King looked gravely upon them while all those close enough to see began to whisper that the King they were speaking too was in fact a mouse.

"I was afraid this would happen," Mickey announced grimly. "We've got to get the rest of the Islanders to safety. Who knows if Cossex will lead a follow-up?"

"You mean you haven't heard from PJ yet?" Yuffie asked.

"No," Donald quacked. "This is the first we've heard." Goofy bowed his head and removed his green hat.

"I feel sorry for Sora and Kairi when they find out," he said. "This news will break their hearts."

"They mustn't learn of it!" Mickey ordered. "They have to remember their mission. If they found out, it might ruin everything."

"Hey!" Tidus yelled. "You may be a king, your majesty, but don't you think your being very cruel?"

"Yeah!" Selphie added. "They're our friends, they have a right to know."

"Just as you have a right to know about their adventures?" Mickey asked them. Tidus and Selphie looked around uncomfortably and stopped harassing the king.

"Um, excuse me?" someone further back asked. "But why does everything seem to revolve around those two teenagers?" Mrs. Botterill suddenly came up from the shadows, cradling what looked like two manuscripts.

"Because Sora saved the worlds twice," she said. "And Kairi is one of the seven princesses of heart who hold the key to opening the door to darkness which is what that woman who attacked us here probably wants." King Mickey nodded at her.

"You are partially correct madam," he said. "Cossex was only acting on orders. The Door to Darkness is what her master, our enemy Maleficent, wants. If she gets all the princesses together, another keyhole to that door will open in Kingdom Hearts, and she will release a plague of evil across all the worlds. Sora and Kairi are currently on assignment to seal worlds' keyholes to prevent them from being destroyed and protect the remaining princesses."

"Wait!" Selphie ordered. "Kairi's a princess?" Yuffie nodded at her.

"Yes," she said. "Kairi's the princess of my home world, but her parents, the King and Queen, mysteriously died several years ago. Ansem the Wise believed the deed to have been done by one of his apprentices, Xehanort, so Ansem erased Kairi's memories and sent her through a door that had appeared the night of a meteor shower to live here. Where Xehanort couldn't find her."

"That's right," Riku breathed in remembrance. "Kairi did arrive the night of the meteor shower."

"And its kept her safe all these years," King Mickey concluded. "But no longer. She as well as Sora and Riku were forcibly drawn into these events a year ago when your islands were destroyed by the heartless. They had found the heart of the world, which is what the keyhole protects, and the islands just vanished. That is why we mustn't let Sora and Kairi know that their parents are dead. They might forget their mission, and then more of the stars will go out if Maleficent succeeds."

"Okay," Axel said. "We won't tell them, but where are we going to send these poor people. The Radiant Garden, or Twilight Town?"

"Just a second," Donald said. "I'm going to open up a connection to Twilight Town."

* * *

Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Max were in the computer room of the Old Mansion, checking out whether they could still send people to the alternate Twilight Town when a transmission opened on one of the screens. It was a split screen image, with the King Donald and Goofy on one side, and a boy with silver hair, girl with black hair, and the man with spiky red hair and green triangle tattoos under his eyes who had kidnapped Kairi on the other side. Behind those last three stood a gaggle of people.

"Hayner, Pence, Olette!" Goofy said in greeting upon seeing them before he spotted his son. "Max!"

"How's it going?" Donald asked. Hayner and the gang grinned at them.

"Pretty good," Olette said. "Sora and Kairi are upstairs, searching for the keyhole somewhere in the mansion. Would you like to speak with them your majesty?"

"Just tell them to head off for Beast's Castle right away," Mickey said. "They need to protect Belle." Suddenly the boy with silver hair looked at Max.

"You're Max right?" he asked. "The guy who is traveling with my best friends?" Max looked suspiciously at him as he nodded his head.

"You're Riku then?" Riku nodded his head.

"When you get the time," he asked. "Can you tell Sora and Kairi to look after each other, and that Kairi's father loves her." Max nodded grimly.

"Why would you want him to say something like that?" Hayner asked.

"Did something happen?" asked Pence.

"Cossex killed their parents and destroyed their home!" Donald quacked. Olette gasped and placed a hand to her mouth as Hayner, Pence and Max froze in place.

"I'll go tell them," she whispered, turning to go.

"NO! They must not know," Mickey ordered, stressing every word. Olette turned back fearfully.

"So, why did you guys call us?" Hayner asked, miffed.

"We need a place," the girl with short black hair began. "That the survivors can call home."

"Well sure, come on over," Pence said. "Everyone already knows everybody else here so meeting new people wouldn't be bad. And we've already gotten used to intergalactic travelers thanks to Sora and you guys."

"We'll take your case up with the mayor and bring him down here," Hayner said, rising from his chair. "He probably won't mind and will make an announcement to help you guys out."

"Thank you," the man who had previously kidnapped Kairi said. "But he probably won't need to take everybody. Some could go to the Radiant Garden."

"Hey!" Olette cried as she gasped. "You're the one who kidnapped Kairi." The man chuckled.

"Is everyone on my case about that?" he asked rhetorically. Mickey glanced between him and the Twilight Town gang.

"Don't worry you three," he said. "Axel's on our side now." The sound of thumping could suddenly be heard quietly.

"Sora and Kairi are coming down the stairs," Hayner hissed. Max got up out of his chair.

"Don't worry," he said, striding out of the room. "I'll make sure we leave right away, then they don't have to see everyone suddenly show up." He left the room to see Sora and Kairi nearing the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

"I never knew Naminé drew so much," Kairi said as they rounded the corner to head into the computer room.

"You guys find the keyhole?" Max hailed. Sora nodded as they stopped in front of each other.

"Yeah, it was in the white room." Max nodded and grabbed both of them by the arms, leading them back up the stairs.

"Hey," Kairi protested, amazed at how strong Max really was. "What are you doing?"

"We need to leave for Beast's Castle right now," Max sighed. "King's orders." Sora sighed as the three of them touched their earpieces and beamed into the Highwind's bridge.

"Aw man," Sora said as he sat down in the captain's chair. "Roxas was so looking forward to going to the virtual Twilight Town." Kairi sighed as she sat in her seat next to him.

"Yeah, Naminé was too."

* * *

Everyone including Leon and Twilight Town's mayor, a tall balding man with red hair, blue eyes, and a brushed mustache, were watching King Mickey in silence as he stared at a display on his console.

"Good," he said after a few minutes waiting. "They've left Twilight Town. I knew it was a good idea to have Chip and Dale install tracking devices in each Gummi ship."

"So," Twilight Town's mayor began in a kind voice. "Just how many people would I expect to be coming here?"

"We have one hundred and eighty-three survivors," Riku said. "Including Yuffie, Axel, and myself."

"We only have room for eighty-three," Leon announced before looking at Twilight Town's mayor. "You'll have to take the other hundred." The man nodded his head.

"Okay," he said. "We could've taken the whole lot of you three times over, but if this is how it's going to be I ask for the young ones." Riku raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yuffie, throwing her a smile.

"You're not getting two of us, but why do you want the kids?"

"Most of us are getting old," the mayor said. "We don't have that many youth around here anymore and we could use the added help."

"So one world's misfortune," Donald said. "Is another world's boon?" The mayor nodded his head and King Mickey looked at Axel.

"It would take too long to get Gummies to ferry all of you over," he said. "Can you still create portals of darkness?" Axel smirked at the king and waved his hand. Two swirling masses of black and purple appeared and Axel embellished them with a flourish.

"One on the right is to Twilight Town in Central Station," he said. "One on the left if to the Radiant Garden in the Postern. Take your time, you have all day to decide where to go."

* * *

Several hours later Sora, Kairi, and Max beamed down from the Highwind into a green courtyard in front of a beautiful white castle, dazzling in the sunlight. Kairi and Max gaped at the beauty while Sora just looked up smirking as he held Kairi by the waist.

"It sure is lovelier in the sunlight than at night," he said before glancing up at a balcony. On it was a woman wearing a blue dress with a white smock, waving at them. Sora nudged Kairi and she looked at him. "Look," he said softly, looking back up at the balcony, "it's Belle." Kairi followed his gaze and smiled when she saw the fellow princess of heart.

"Belle!" she called, waving frantically.

"Sora! Kairi!" they heard her yell. "It's good to see you again!"

"You too!" Kairi answered. Sora nudged her again. "What?"

"Don't you think we should go up to talk to her?" he chuckled, pulling the box of pixie dust out of his pocket. Moments later the three of them were pelting through the sky as Sora wordlessly vanished the box so he wouldn't have to fumble with his pockets anymore. Belle backed up as Kairi landed first, closely followed by Sora and Max. Kairi leapt into Belle's arms and hugged her tightly as Belle hugged her back.

"I've missed all you guys," Kairi said as she pulled back. Belle smiled at her and rubbed her hand through Kairi's hair.

"And I've missed you," she said warmly before looking at Sora and laughing. "And I've missed you Sora, and you too Goofy."

"I'm not Goofy," Max said as Sora and Kairi burst out laughing. "I'm his son Max." Belle covered her mouth and giggled.

"I'm sorry Max," she said. "I should've known you weren't Goofy when I saw that you were only about Sora's age." The four of them laughed together for a time until the fit subsided.

"So," Sora asked, "you and the Beast break the spell yet?" Belle nodded.

"You mean me and Prince Alain?" she questioned as her eyes took on a dreamy look. Sora crossed his arms as he looked at her.

"So you did break the curse then," he said. Belle nodded her head.

"We did," she said. "He's in his room if you'd like to see him." Sora nodded his head and rushed out of the room followed by Max. Kairi stayed behind to keep talking with Belle.

"So," Belle asked as she closed her door. "Are you and Sora together?" Kairi was taken aback by this sudden question but nodded her head anyway. Belle smiled at her. "I knew it," she said slowly. "You both have that look in your eyes."

"What look?" Kairi asked sincerely.

"The look of one in love with the person of their dreams," Belle said. "Lumiere told me I had that same look in my eyes after Alain and I broke the curse."

"It must be nice," Kairi said as she looked around Belle's room. "To live in a castle with your one true love." Belle nodded happily.

"Well it must also be nice Kairi," she said, lying down on her bed. "To live next to your love and fight beside him. Knowing he's always there for you in case you get hurt. And that you're always there for him in case he bites off more than he can chew." Kairi nodded as well as she sat on the floor, smiling.

"It is," she said softly, rubbing her arm and remembering the new smell Sora had taken. "I must be the luckiest girl in all the worlds to have someone who cares this much about me."

"Well then," Belle said as she sat up and began rummaging through her wardrobe. "We're having a dance tonight. There must be something I've got that you could wear that would absolutely dazzle him and show him just how lucky he is to have you." Kairi waved off Belle's search.

"I don't need anything of yours Belle," she said as a grin took hold and she looked skywards. "I've got just the thing."

* * *

Sora stood in the ballroom of the castle that night wearing what he classed to be a stuffy black tuxedo with a black tie. Beside him stood a regal looking man with reddish-brown hair wearing an elegant blue vest with yellow lining over a white cravat and pair of black dress pants. On Sora's other side Max in a tux much like Sora's used to stand, before he had gotten bored and withdrew to the drink table where he would stand and make small talk for the rest of the night. They were waiting for Belle and Kairi and Sora was nervously bouncing on his feet. Prince Alain looked down at the young Keyblade Master and laughed.

"Don't worry Sora," he chuckled. "I'm sure she'll be prettier than the last time I saw her, when I was a beast." Sora looked up at him.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he said quietly. Alain chuckled.

"What do you fear exactly?" he asked, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder. Sora sighed as he felt the comforting hand resting on him.

"That she'll be too beautiful," he said slowly. "And I'll feel as if I won't deserve to dance with her. I've never seen Kairi in a dress before." The prince chuckled again and Sora looked at him, affronted. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Sora," Alain said wisely. "I felt the same way when I saw Belle in a dress for the first time. It is a time we men all fear, but if she loves you, she will dance with you. Whether you feel unworthy or not." Sora took heart and he turned his head to look at the doors again.

"It's still scary," he said and Alain nodded. The doors opened and a man with elegant brown hair wearing all yellow came in.

"Now presenting," Lumiere announced. "Princess Belle, and Princess Kairi." Belle walked in first, wearing her elegant yellow gown and she stepped aside to allow the girl behind her to enter. Sora felt his jaw drop and saw Max's follow suit out of the corner of his eye as they beheld his love and companion. Kairi was wearing a long slender fuchsia gown that widened about her waist and just brushed her feet that were clad in rose-heeled shoes. Upon her brow rested a silver circlet that glittered with pink diamonds as she moved her head. She saw Sora and walked slowly towards him, her hips swaying slightly as she almost awkwardly came towards him.

_Holy Hera,_ Sora thought as beads of sweat formed on his neck. _Why did you gods have to make her so beautiful in that dress?_ Kairi was a step in front of him when she suddenly stumbled and threw her arms around Sora's neck as he grabbed her around the waist to steady her. She giggled a little and flashed her pearly whites while they both inhaled each other's scent.

"You're more beautiful than ever tonight Kairi," Sora said slowly, gaping at her face. Kairi pulled back and looked at Sora.

"And you're more handsome tonight than you are usually Sora," she said as they took hands and Kairi looked down at her feet. "I hate heels," she said suddenly. "It's almost as if I have two left feet." They both laughed as the ice broke.

"Try being a lion cub," Sora said as music began playing. "You actually do have two left feet then." Kairi giggled as Sora took her waist with one hand and they both suddenly gulped before looking each other in the eyes. Neither of them had ever slow danced before.

_Don't worry,_ they both heard in their heads. _Just do what the music tells you to do._ Sora suddenly became aware that Mrs. Potts was starting to sing. (A/N 1 My first authour's note, and hopefully my last. You guys had all better know this song!)

"_Tale as old as time_," she began and they began to dance in their own small circle, enveloped in each other's blue eyes. "True _as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly_." Sora twirled Kairi in a slow pirouette and then they came together again, just following what the music and their hearts commanded.

"_Just a little change, small to say the least. Both a little scared, neither one prepared. Beauty and the Beast_." Sora and Kairi passed by Belle and Prince Alain dancing, Belle's head resting on his shoulders.

"_Ever just the same, ever a surprise. Ever as before, ever just as sure, as the sun will rise._

_Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong._

_Certain as the sun, rising in the east. Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast._

_Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast_." Sora knelt his head onto Kairi's as Mrs. Potts finished her song.

"I love you," he spoke softly before their lips gently came together.

"I know," Kairi said after they had finished, "and I love you too." A voice suddenly spoke from above, stopping their dancing.

"How very heartwarming, not that I have a heart." Everyone looked up to see a man with spiked silver hair and yellow eyes like a hawk wearing an Organization XIII cloak hovering in the air near the chandelier. Sora and Kairi contorted their faces into masks of anger.

"I suppose you're Cossex's partner aren't you?" Kairi growled. The man raised his arms in defence.

"Why so hostile now princess?" he asked. "All I want is to introduce myself and steal Belle for my master."

"You aren't welcome here!" Prince Alain roared. "Get out of my castle and leave Belle alone!"

"Sorry," the man said. "I can only comply to half of your request, Pete!" Pete suddenly walked out from the balcony and began to make his way towards Belle.

"Max!" Sora ordered, throwing a glance at the teen near the punch. "Help the prince defend Belle from Pete! Kairi and I can handle this guy." The man floating above them chuckled as he came down to their level.

"Are you sure you want to challenge Nixion, Keeper of Storms?" he bellowed, twin swords charged with electricity appearing in his hands. Nixion charged forwards at the teens in their formal wear as their keyblades appeared in their hands. Nixion twirled his thunder blades around as Sora and Kairi fell back, blocking his lightning fast attacks.

"I hate heels!" Kairi moaned, stressing every word, as she leapt back and tried to steady herself as she landed. Nixion took this opportunity of weakness to leapt forward and attack her but before his thunder blade could connect with her fuchsia dress it rebounded off of the magical barrier Kairi had summoned with a reflera spell. Nixion leapt back before the shield could damage him and turned in time to block an attack Sora was making for his side. Kairi shucked off the beautiful rose heels and ran forward barefoot, a volley of fireballs preceding her. Sora grinned and heaved the Oblivion forwards to keep Nixion on one place while the fire plastered Nixion from behind. The Nobody looked at Kairi in rage as he blocked her keyblade's assault. He abruptly fell back and Sora and Kairi began to fall into each other. Before they could recover Nixion hit both of their sides with the flat of his thunder blades. The teens winced in pain as the electricity coursed through their bodies, causing revulsions and spasms of uncontrollable movement.

"Do you still wish to fight?" Nixion asked as he relieved them from their torture. Sora looked at him, face full of loathing.

"Wrong move pal," he snarled, slicing his keyblade into Nixion's chest. He recoiled from the blow and staggered backwards as Sora and Kairi renewed their attack with blinding fury. Sora looked at Kairi while Nixion staggered into the center of the ballroom and she nodded. Together they leapt into each other's arms and kissed, their keyblades flying off and continually striking Nixion in elliptical orbits. "I love you Kairi," Sora said as their keyblades came back into their hands. Before Kairi could respond they both leapt into the air, Sora firing gigantic shards of ice from his keyblade and Kairi equalizing with fireballs from the Oathkeeper. Nixion staggered at their elemental barrage and Sora suddenly appeared in front of him and Kairi did behind him.

"You won't enjoy this," Kairi taunted before the two of them continually attacked his back and front, their movements more of an art form than an attack. They both suddenly stopped and stood a few feet away from Nixion and looked into each other's blue eyes. "I love you too Sora," Kairi said as they came together and kissed passionately while their Limit drew to its finale. All about them while they kissed, fireballs from heaven seemed to fall from the sky and pepper the ground, and especially Nixion, although they didn't harm the beautiful floor. As the meteors stopped falling a light shone from the kissing teens and quickly enveloped everything in the room for a few moments. Nixion staggered to his feet as Sora and Kairi turned to look at him.

"Pete, we must retreat!" he yelled, summoning a portal. "We'll try again later." Nixion staggered backwards into the portal and Pete fled from the balcony where Prince Alain and Max had successfully defended Belle from him.

"We'll get yah next time Belle," Pete said as he fled into the portal and it vanished. Sora and Kairi grinned and quickly shared another kiss. A light suddenly appeared on Kairi's keyblade and a large keyhole appeared on the floor of the ballroom. She looked at Sora and he nodded at her.

"You're turn," he said with a chuckle as Kairi pointed the Oathkeeper at the chandelier. A beam of light radiated forth and reflected off the chandelier, coming down and entering the keyhole right in the center. They heard a clicking sound and the keyhole slowly vanished. Kairi grinned and she looked at Sora again.

"How do you like that?" she asked. "We sealed a keyhole and beat Nixion, and I'm in a dress to boot." Sora smirked and kissed his love again.

They had won.

* * *

_I know I'm updating again, but I left off yesterday on a sour note and my health and schoolwork suffered so I quickly typed this up._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	16. YoHo

_Okay, the next chapter. I don't really know what to say here apart from please read and review, and I hope you enjoyed Kairi fighting in a dress last chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy. Disney and Square-Enix own those. _

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XVI: Yo-Ho

Tidus looked around with Selphie, Wakka, and their parents who had escaped the carnage back home. They were standing on a brick platform in front of a large brickwork clock tower with glass doors that led to the train station. With them were nearly all the other survivors of the attack on the islands. The remark Twilight Town's mayor had said about being able to take thrice their number was too good to pass up for many of them but a few including Riku, Yuffie, and Mrs. Botterill had gone to the Radiant Garden. The sun set in perpetual twilight had finally set, dropping to just below the horizon while still allowing a few rays of light to illuminate the ground. Stars glittered above in the purplish-black night sky. In front of them was the mayor of Twilight Town, waiting for the portal to drop.

Tidus heard a sound behind him and turned to see Axel wearing his red hoodie stepping out of the closing portal.

"That's everyone," Axel said as the purplish-black vortex vanished. "All the others are safe in the Radiant Garden." The mayor nodded and motioned for the crowd to come into the station.

"Very good," he said to Axel before speaking kindly to the Islanders. "We have accommodations for you in Sunset Terrace, free of charge. And as an added bonus, none of you have to pay taxes for the next two years," he added with a bow. "Consider it payment for Sora ridding us of those creatures that used to roam in the tunnels, and saving the worlds." He turned and began leading them into the station to take the train to Sunset Terrace.

"Remind me to thank Sora the next time we see him," Tidus' mother, a woman with flowing, silky blonde hair, emerald eyes, and a kind face. She wore slightly ripped flowery garments in light hues of blue and brown. Tidus sighed and shook his head, wondering what his new home would look like.

"Oh, and some of you may not like this," the mayor chuckled, turning his head around. "But when we took down your names we registered those of age for school." All the youth let out a collective groan as they filed onto the orange train with star windows. Several cars had been attached in order to accommodate the extra passengers. Tidus stopped before entering and gazed in wonder at a dark blue train. It was adorned with yellow stars and on the top on either side rested a pointed and star-spangled hat. He wondered for a moment where it went, as the tracks had it running in an opposite direction from their train's direction.

The mayor looked at Tidus, the last remaining Islander to step foot in the train and followed his gaze in understanding.

"Wondering about that train?" he asked, approaching Tidus. The boy looked at the mayor and nodded, intent on an explanation. "They say it goes to a powerful old sorcerer's tower," he said. "But nobody here has had the nerve to ride it. If it does lead where the legend says, then we have no idea who this sorcerer is, or whether he has a gentle disposition. Sora rode it once, along with Donald and Goofy, but what he encountered there, he has never mentioned." Tidus gulped, imagining just what could have awaited Sora at the end of the line, before stepping onto his own train while the mayor entered behind him.

One crowded train-ride later Tidus departed the train with Wakka and Selphie onto Sunset Station. The mayor briskly strode past them, almost singing to himself in the chill night air.

"Ah, I always love coming here," he said to himself while people fell in behind him. "The air is so crisp and clean, even in the heat of the afternoon." He came to himself as he turned to face the crowd leaving the trains. "Right then," he said in remembrance, "follow me." The mayor led them down the many steps from the station through the terrace, explaining things all the way.

"We could never have fit you all a few years ago," he said as they strode through the terrace, full of similar architecture to the actual town. "But we finished construction on a new subdivision down here just last fall, hoping to attract new residents because there were so many positions down here that weren't being filled. We haven't gotten that many yet, but I'm sure the counsel and I never expected a sudden exodus from another world to fill up a third of that new division in one day. Well, here we are." He stopped in front of a grove of brick houses; all based on the same design, yet none of them exactly the same. Tidus and his parents looked at the house in front of them. He could immediately identify two stories in the brickwork, a flat roof, and a second floor black steel balcony leading from large glass double-doors. A railing led up from the balcony towards the roof and Tidus noticed that all the houses had the same style roof, and that they were only about a foot in between.

_Great for meeting friends_, he thought as he strode forward, as the mayor handed his parents the keys to the house. Tidus dimly noticed that Wakka and Selphie were moving into the houses adjacent. Least we'll know the neighbors, he thought as a smirk crept onto his face. He heard a voice from aside and turned around.

"Look at that!" Selphie had said pointing into the star covered sky. Tidus followed her finger and tried to discern what she was pointing at when he saw it. A bright white star was growing brighter and dimmer, before it suddenly grew very bright and vanished from existence just as quickly. Tidus' eyes grew in awe as he stared at the now black spot where the star had been, wondering what just happened.

* * *

Riku held Yuffie on the balcony of her room in the castle on the Radiant Garden, staring in fear at the now blank space in the sky.

_The cycle_, they thought,_ has begun again_. Riku looked down at Yuffie and squeezed her a little in comfort.

_Sora, Kairi_, he thought desperately, _where are you? _

* * *

In response to Riku's question Sora snored softly in a deep sleep in his bed aboard the _Highwind_, dreaming of Kairi in her stunning dress. They were once again traveling through deep space on a course for the Land of Dragons to seal Mulan's home's keyhole. Sora's room was rectangular and painted a myriad of black, red, and blue, with doors going into Kairi's and Max's rooms, as well as into the cabin and his own small bathroom. Next to his giant four-poster bed was a small bedside table with two framed pictures on it. One was of himself and his mother, Kairi and her parents, and Riku with his parents near the bent Paopu tree on their island. The picture had been taken two summers ago before the whole mess with the worlds and heartless had begun. The second picture was the one of his and Kairi's first kiss that he had confiscated from Cid.

The ship began rumbling as a loud explosion sounded from somewhere outside. Sora snored again and rolled over on his bare chest, slightly grasping the covers and pulling them further onto his shoulders. The ship rocked slightly as another explosion, louder than the first, sounded. But still Sora slept. The pneumatic, whooshing door that led into Kairi's room suddenly whooshed open as she fearfully pelted in, tying up her pink housecoat.

"Sora!" she called as she rushed in. "What's going on?" As an answer Sora let out another snore and Kairi grimaced. The ship violently rocked and Kairi placed her hands against the wall to steady herself. _Something hit us that time_. Kairi looked frantically at Sora only to see that he was still sleeping. _That boy can sleep through anything_, she thought with a smirk. _But… he can't sleep through what I'm about to do._ Kairi slinked off the wall and strode over to the bed, dropping her head to just beside Sora's ear. "Sora…" she purred quietly into his ear. Kairi grinned wickedly when Sora's expressionless face gained a sweet smile.

"WAKE UP!"

Sora immediately bolted upright, his eyes in shock and his heart racing.

"I'm up!" he protested. "I'm up!" He looked around frantically to see Kairi giggling nearby with a blush on her face as she stared at his muscular chest. She had just realized how much fighting the heartless had improved his physique. Sora did not notice the blush and grimaced, chucking one of his pillows at her. "Not funny Kai," he said as he plopped back down on his bed. Before he could even close his eyes the ship shook again as another explosion sounded. Sora bolted straight upright again, fully alert. "What was that?" he asked aloud as he stepped out of his bed.

"That's what I needed you up for," Kairi said as she came forward again, determinedly looking at his face instead of his abs. "Lazy bum," she finished with a smile as she lightly whacked his head with her palm. The ship suddenly banked into a tight turn that flung the two teens into the wall, Kairi overtop of Sora, and the two of them heard something in the cabin fall and shatter. Kairi blushed with her face inches from Sora's, being forced to look into his eyes with their bodies plastered together. "Well, you're awake now," she said, trying to break the ice. Sora heaved a chuckle.

"Yeah, at least you didn't toss water on me." Kairi's eyes suddenly brightened and she smiled evilly at him. She could sense Sora becoming fearful as she placed her palm flat on his upper chest. "Kairi," he warned, "don't do it or I'll do something you won't like." Kairi laughed at him and sent a gushing blast of water out of her palm, sending her backwards a few feet away from Sora as he became drenched in the liquid. Kairi landed unsteadily on the sloped floor and relinquished the water spell that was still soaking her boyfriend. Kairi laughed some more as she began to discern the sound of Sora laughing while choking down on some of the water. Steam began pouring off of Sora's body as the ship leveled off, more explosions sounding from outside. Both of them stopped their tomfoolery and Kairi dashed out the door into the cabin, Sora grabbing his blue housecoat at her heels. Kairi took one look towards the glass dome top of the bridge to see something she had feared.

They were under attack.

"On deck! All hands!" Sora ordered as he observed the ships scurrying around in space. "Everyone to the bridge!"

"By everyone I suppose you mean just you and Kairi!" a voice shouted from the bridge as Sora and Kairi dashed up to it. "I could really use your help here." Kairi looked in as she leapt up the last three steps to see Max in the pilot's chair, sweat on his brow. He barely spared a glance at them as Sora shooed him out of his chair. "Nice of you to join me, how long did it take either of you to wake up?"

"I woke up right away," Kairi said as she strapped herself into her chair. "Sora's the one who took forever to get up." Kairi threw a glance into the sky as two joysticks appeared in front of her. There were thousands of ships surrounding them nearly all of them with a weapon unloading fire upon their ship. Kairi glanced at the controls in front of her with apprehension.

"Kairi, you take the slash gummies," Sora ordered as he threw the ship into a downwards helix and accelerated to full throttle, returning fire with all the cannons he had. "Max, arm the laser cannons!"

"Um, Sora," Kairi asked hesitantly as the g-forces pressed her into her seat, "what's a slash gummi?" Sora threw a glance at her as he leveled the ship off and performed a barrel roll.

"Basically a large sword or axe that the ship swings around in front of it," he explained while firing a salvo into the mass of heartless ships, creating brilliant explosions. Kairi nodded and grabbed the joysticks, swinging them around in circles. If one could look outside and observe they would have seen two large green laser swords detach themselves from the sides of the _Highwind _and begin swinging around, slashing through any ship that crossed their paths as blue and purple cannon fire and white lasers sprouted forth from hidden turrets. Incoming fire came at them from all directions, and despite Sora's best efforts even he couldn't prevent them from taking hits.

"I thought you were the best and never suffered a scratch!" Max roared after ten minutes of pummeling every ship in their sight. Their efforts appeared wasted however as with every one that exploded ten more appeared from behind to continue pelting them.

"There has never been this many before!" Sora retorted as he looped the ship, his thumbs crunching down on the red buttons atop the wheel. "And, I embellished a little okay."

"It's almost like we're trying to break through a blockade," Kairi gasped as they reached the bottom of the loop. Max's eyes brightened as an idea took form.

"Sora!" he ordered. "Stop the ship!" His two companions threw looks of hate at him for even suggesting they stop.

"What are you, crazy?" Sora roared as he stopped the loop and rolled the ship over and over.

"Just trust me!" Max answered. Sora's eyes flashed at Max.

"Alright, but if we die, I am so haunting you for this!" Max nodded.

"Deal," he said fiercely. Sora steadied the ship with one hand and eased back on the throttle as more flack pounded into their vessel until the ship had come to a complete stop. "Cut all power, except for life support," Max commanded. Sora did as was instructed and the three of them waited with baited breath as the lights went out, the only light coming from the lights on the numerous heartless ships. Miraculously their adversaries stopped firing and Kairi looked on whilst drawing ragged breaths to see the tide of enemies heading out past them, not sparing a moment to attack their apparently disabled vessel. They waited in silence as the shadows of the armada passed over their faces. Finally after what seemed an hour the last ship past them by and Sora brought the power back up. Kairi looked anxiously at her companions in the new starlight.

"There were enough ships in that to be an invasion force," she breathed. Max and Sora nodded glumly.

"There has never been a fleet that big," Sora said as he brought the navigation screen up to chart a course to the Land of Dragons again, "ever." Sora suddenly gasped and Kairi quickly unbuckled herself, rising from her seat.

"What is it?" she asked, hastening to his side. Sora slumped down in his seat and placed his head in one hand.

"It's gone," he moaned. "The Land of Dragons, is gone." Kairi folded her arms around Sora in a comforting embrace, masking her own shock.

"I'm sorry," she said softly as Sora glumly grasped one of her hands. Max quickly looked up.

"Which way were those ships headed?" he asked quickly. Sora and Kairi turned their heads towards him.

"Well they were heading that way," Kairi said as she pointed on the screen. "Why?"

"What lies 'that way'?" Max quickly asked. She turned her head back to the screen and followed her finger as it pointed towards a world with a ship, skull, and crossed swords.

"They're heading for Port Royal!" Sora exclaimed as he grasped the wheel again. "Hang on everybody, we're taking them down!"

"Sora!" Max protested. "What about the damage we've already sustained?"

"They attacked us by surprise that time!" Sora viciously answered, his eyes ablaze. "This time, we're hitting them in the back, and launching the mini ships! Plus…" he growled in an undertone, "we didn't use any magic to wipe them out." Sora wheeled the ship around and sent it streaking back towards the fading tail end of the heartless armada. Out of a concealed hangar bay four teeny ships, all shaped as A-Wings, launched and flanked the _Highwind_. Sora smirked as he observed his AI wingmen. "Looks like Chip and Dale really do like Star Wars," he mumbled as his quarry approached.

"Closing into targeting range," Max said nervously as his fingers twitched. Sora shook his head and roared out a spell with all of his passion.

"Ultima!" Out in deep space right in the middle of the armada three gigantic purple-green-blue spheres appeared, enveloping the majority of the force. Before any of them could begin evasive maneuvers violent explosions began occurring inside the spheres, wiping out every last vessel. Sora panted heavily from the exertion the spell had caused as he barely held onto his consciousness. He forced his eyes to stay open as the fire burned within them. Letting out a gut-wrenching roar Sora jammed his thumbs onto the triggers and with cannons blazing broke into the enemy fleet, explosions everywhere in his wake. He suddenly felt his strength and energy return, not from adrenaline, but from a blue cube that had somehow struck him. Sora looked frantically about him and he spotted Kairi, grinning.

"You're welcome," she said, before the flames in Sora's blue eyes took hold in her own sapphires. "I may not have known them," she growled, "and I may not know your friends on Port Royal. But," she tore her eyes from Sora and glared at the ships exploding in front of them, "I'll be dammed if I let any more perish to these infernal demons while I fight still!" Sora gazed at his love in wonder before he returned his attention to piloting the ship and wrecking any foe that came on them.

* * *

Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and about seventy other students of varying ages walked out of Central Station in Twilight Town to see three other teenagers waiting for them. One had spiked blonde hair and wore a gray vest over a black shirt and camo pants, another was wearing a red jersey and blue jeans, while the only girl wore an orange shirt with a white flower pattern near the bottom. The three were waiting near the entrance to the town from the station and Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie led the way over to them while still chatting amongst themselves.

"Man," Wakka said as he recapped events to himself. "First some chick attacks Sora and Kairi and they flee, then the islands go, and now not two days later we're already back in school! This sucks, yah." The three Twilight Town kids looked up at him.

"You know Sora and Kairi?" the blonde one asked. Tidus nodded.

"Yeah," said Tidus, "we're their friends." The boy nodded and extended his hand.

"I'm Hayner," he said as they shook. "This is Pence and Olette, we're also friends of Sora and Kairi."

"Yeah," Pence said as he shook Wakka's hand and counted with his other. "And Donald, and Goofy, Max, and King Mickey."

"Yeah," Olette began. "Sora and Kairi were just here yesterday too." The rest of the crowd came around them to begin hearing the latest news as a woman came out of the tunnels and began wandering down the street.

"How is Sora doing?" Selphie asked Olette, eager for anything to ease her worries. The woman suddenly stopped and began to turn her head towards them.

"Yeah, how are they doing?" Joe, from Sora's former English class asked.

"Excuse me," the woman, who until now had gone unnoticed, asked, "but did you say 'Sora'?" Tidus as well as everyone else turned to look at her. The woman had a fair face, short black hair, black eyes, and wore a grey tunic with green edging with a turquoise band across the centre. She also had gray pants and long white socks while on her feet were hard black slippers.

"Yeah," Hayner said, crossing his arms. "Do you know him?"

"Know him?" A voice suddenly yelled. "Man, we kicked all kinds of bad guy butt together!" A little red and yellow dragon popped out from under the woman's tunic. "Just Sora, Donald, Goofy, Mulan and me! The guardian dragon!"

"Mushu," the woman groaned out of the corner of her mouth.

"Ah, don't worry Mulan," Mushu said as he dropped off of her shoulder. "Yeah, we know him," he continued as he paced in front of the crowd. "In fact, I taught him all he knows about fire!" For emphasis on this last word, Mushu lifted his mouth to the heavens and from his muzzle great tongues of flames erupted. Mulan just shook her head as her guardian dragon closed off the fire display. Tidus raised his eyebrows.

"I had no idea Sora had so many friends from other worlds," he said. Mulan looked up at him.

"About that," she began nervously. "I'm kind of lost, would you mind telling me where I am?" Selphie shook her head in disbelief.

"You mean you don't live here?" she asked incredulously. Mulan shook her head.

"No," she said. "The last thing I remember was guarding the Emperor with Shang and our friends from heartless. Then everything became black and I woke up here."

"Sounds like your world was taken by the heartless," a voice from behind said. Tidus whipped his head around to see Axel standing in the middle of the platform, wearing his old black overcoat. Mulan's face contorted with rage as she drew her sword, Mushu climbing back onto her shoulder, his jaw set.

"You are one of those Organization XIII dudes Sora's been fighting!" Mushu yelled before adding in an undertone to Mulan, "think we can take him without Sora?" Before she could respond Axel began chuckling and shaking his head.

"Man, will the worlds ever let that go?" he asked to himself before looking up at Mulan. "Relax, I'm one of the good guys. Got it memorized?"

"Well you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones," Mulan said as she sheathed her sword again. Axel smirked at her as he strode forward.

"Sora's fine," he said as he approached Mulan. "I have a lot to catch you up on, but before we begin," he turned to the crowd assembled and fireballs appeared in his gloved palms. "Don't you all have to be getting to school?"

"Yee-haw!" Mushu yelled as smoke came from his nostrils. "I like your style! Move along kiddies, we got big, important things to talk about!" A small fireball came from his muzzle as he began herding them out at full speed.

* * *

A refreshed Sora, Kairi, and Max were standing ready to beam down to Port Royal's surface. After a fierce hour-long dogfight with the heartless space fleet, they had emerged victorious, if a little worse for wear. And as victory celebration they had spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon, snoozing. Sora looked at his companions, who nodded, and as one they beamed down onto the world's surface.

Sora found himself standing atop the battlements of the fort in Port Royal. Canvas stretched over the cannons and numerous ships were in port and the harbour. Sora could just discern that boats full of men wearing red were coming ashore before he realized another fact.

It was raining.

He clasped his hands onto the back of his vest and pulled the black hood over his spiked hair. Kairi was grimacing next to him while Max was holding a hand to shield his eyes from the driving rain.

"So," he asked, "what exactly is significant about Port Royal?" Sora smirked as he quickly led them down the battlements towards the town where they would find some cover from the rain.

"Pirates," he whispered. Max's eyes brightened as he looked at Sora with disbelief.

"As in pirates from all the stories?" he asked. Sora shook his head.

"Better," said he, "real pirates." Max gazed awestruck at Sora's words. A platoon of soldiers with muskets marched up from behind and Sora flung himself to the wall of a building to let them pass.

"I wonder what's going on?" Max asked, his eyes following the redcoats.

"Let's find out," Sora said. Like a seasoned veteran at such skill Sora sprang forward and began stalking the soldiers, Kairi and Max following in his wake. They followed the platoon until they were under a stone archway of a building. Redcoats surrounded the square outside and more were in line nearby. Another platoon came up behind them and halted, waiting to receive orders. Sora glanced at the soldiers to his back and looked to his front again to see beyond another line of muskets a woman with braided brown hair wearing a yellow dress talking to a man wearing blue in handcuffs.

"I think it's bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding," she said. A man wearing light bluish gray with a great gray wig walked in from behind a line of soldiers.

"Make way, let me through!" he ordered. The marines barred his entry with their pikes, but this only outraged the man further. "How dare you! Stand your men down at once! Do you hear me?" A drawling voice suddenly filled the air.

"Governor Weatherby Swan, it's been too long." Governor Swan turned to look at a man with a white powdered wig wearing a black cap and blue overcoat.

"Cutler Beckett?" he asked.

"His Lord now," the man responded. Governor Swan stepped in from between the soldiers.

"Lord, or not," he declared. "You have no reason and no authority to arrest this man." He pointed at the man in handcuffs and Sora looked at him again in shocking realization. It was Will!

"In fact, I do, Mister Mercer!" Beckett ordered. A man with a slightly scarred face stepped up and handed him a box where within lay several documents. Beckett picked up one and handed it to Governor Swan. "The arrest for one William Turner," he said smugly. Governor Swan took the paper and looked over it in disbelief.

"This warrant is for Elizabeth Swan," he choked.

"Oh is it," Lord Beckett said. "That's annoying. Arrest her." Marines then clasped the woman wearing the wedding dress in irons as she protested in outrage.

"On what charges?" she cried in outrage.

"NO!" Will and Sora yelled at the same time. Beckett continued searching, undaunted by their protests.

"Ah-ha," he said, picking up the right document. "Here's the one for William Turner." He then grabbed two more out of the box and stepped into the open. "And I also have warrants for Mister James Norrington, and Mister Sora and his companions, are they present?" Kairi gasped as shock flowed over Sora. He was to be arrested?

"On what charges?" Elizabeth growled. She spotted Sora and immediately gave him a look that told him to get away, now!

_No,_ Roxas said. _No, they're wrong. You haven't done anything._ Beckett turned his head upon hearing Kairi's gasp and smirked, it was too late for them to run.

"Right," he said, glancing down at the document again. "Sora and his companions, arrest them too." Before he knew what had happened Sora felt manacles on his wrists as his hands were chained together.

"On what grounds?" Max protested as they were shoved forwards to join Elizabeth and Will. Beckett turned away from them and looked around again.

"Is Mister James Norrington present?" he asked again.

"Commodore Norrington resigned his commission some months ago," Governor Swan answered.

"Yes, I know that," Beckett said. "But that doesn't answer my question."

"Lord Beckett," Will spat. "In the category of questions not answered…"

"We are under the jurisdiction of the King's Governor of Port Royal, and you will tell us what we are charged with," Elizabeth finished with a curled lip. Governor Swan then glanced down at the document he held.

"The charge," he read, "is conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the crown and empire, and condemned to death, for which the," he suddenly stopped, staring at the sentence in front of him.

"For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death," Lord Beckett finished emotionlessly. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow?"

"Captain!" Sora, Elizabeth, and Will retorted. But Elizabeth said so with the most fury and Sora and Will backed off.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Elizabeth finished.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Lord Beckett corrected himself. "Yes, I thought you might." He then glanced at Mercer and the marines around his captives. "Take them away." Mercer strode forward and led the way as redcoats surrounded the party and forced their march through the biting rain towards the jail. Sora looked up at the man next to him.

"Well, apart from us all being arrested," he said cheerfully, "It's nice to see you again Will." Will and Elizabeth laughed and looked fondly at him.

"It's wonderful to see you again too Sora," Will chuckled before looking up at the clouds. "If we'd have known you were coming we might have gotten better weather for our wedding." Sora looked frantically between the two in shock.

"Wait," Kairi said. "You two were supposed to get married today?" Elizabeth and Will nodded before looking curiously at her.

"I," Will started, "I don't think we've been formerly introduced." He held out his manacled hands as they walked. "William Turner," he announced as they did their best to shake each other's bound hands. Kairi then looked at Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth Swan," Elizabeth introduced with a smile. Kairi smiled at them before motioning towards herself.

"I'm Kairi," she said before looking pointedly at Sora, "Sora's girlfriend." Now it was time for Will and Elizabeth to look between them in shock.

"You didn't tell us you were in love," Will stuttered. Sora blushed and bashfully stroked his head.

"We've always been in love," he said as a marine jostled him to keep in line, "it's just been kinda recent that we both figured it out." Will nodded knowingly at him before looking at Max.

"And you?" he asked. "You look like Goofy, but do not appear to be so." Max chuckled and placed his shackled hands behind his head.

"I'm his son, Max," he said calmly. He seemed to be taking being arrested quite well.

"Goofy never told us he had a son," Elizabeth said. Sora glanced upwards at her.

"Same here."

"Quit talking! The lot of you!" Mercer ordered as they filed into the fort's jail. "There'll be plenty of time for that while you're behind bars." Sora looked up at him, annoyed.

"Jeeze, what a grouch," he mumbled. They were led on from there in silence until they reached the cells of the jail. Pin-barrel hinged cell doors and all. The Mercer opened two cell doors and brutally shoved Max, Will, and Elizabeth into one and Sora and Kairi into the other. Slamming them both he stalked out, all soldiers except for the guards following. Kairi looked glumly at Sora in their cell as the jail's door slammed shut ominously.

"You're right Sora," she said. "We've just arrived in Port Royal, and I've already seen worse." She lifted her bound hands and brought them back down, the chains rattling.

"Hey," Sora comforted, scooting a little closer to her on the ground, "at least we're together." A wicked smile slowly crept onto his face. "Speaking of which," he continued, "I distinctly remember you spraying me with water this morning." Kairi looked up at Sora's grin in fear.

"What are you going to do that I won't like?" she asked apprehensively. Sora leant back against the wall for a moment.

"Nothing much," he said, watching Kairi relax out of the corner of his eye. "Just… this!" Without warning he leapt onto Kairi and began fiercely tickling her bare sides, gleefully laughing as Kairi giggled uncontrollably.

"Sora," she choked out while tears of mirth rolled down her cheeks, "stop." Sora kept laughing as he continued to tickle his angel.

"Not until I'm finished my revenge," he laughed. Kairi kept laughing as Sora continued to do his best to tickle her, despite her efforts to whack his chained hands away.

"Fine," she squeaked out. Sora grinned evilly and half wondered what she would do as Max, Will, and Elizabeth looked at them in unknown fascination. Without warning Kairi suddenly leapt onto Sora and began tickling him as fiercely as Sora had just been tickling her. Now both of them were laughing uncontrollably as they played. The tickling suddenly ceased as their lips met and they held each other as best as they could.

"Does this sort of thing happen often?" Will asked with raised eyebrows. Max nodded slowly.

"All the time," he said. "It gets tiring after a while."

"Not to them apparently," Elizabeth sighed. Max barked a laugh.

"It probably wouldn't be tiring to Roxanne and me if we were together," he said wistfully. Sora and Kairi slowly broke apart and gazed into each other's eyes.

"I love you," Kairi softly cooed as she snuggled into his shoulder. "You always know just how to brighten up my day." She then glanced down at their chained hands and brought them up and down with a metallic rattle. "But these chains are no fun," she pouted.

"Well," Sora said wisely as the Oblivion appeared in his right hand, "why don't we remove them?" Kairi glanced at his keyblade's obsidian blade before bringing out her own keyblade. Will gaped at her weapon as the Sora and Kairi unlocked the manacles, not without some difficulty however.

"You have your own keyblade?" he asked after the irons had dropped to the ground. Kairi nodded as they dismissed the weapons and then vanished the handcuffs with magic. Before anything else could be said guards came up to both cells and unlocked them.

"Come with me you," the guard who was in Sora's cell said, motioning for Sora alone. "Lord Beckett would like to speak with you." Sora sighed and got up, allowing the soldier to lead him out as William was brought up next to him.

"You too?" Will asked with raised eyebrows. Sora nodded glumly.

"I wonder what a high and mighty Lord such as him would want with us." Sora said rhetorically. Will raised his eyebrows as they were lead through the town. Sora dimly noticed that that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.

"Probably to taunt us, torture us, and do all manner of evil things to us," he said with a laugh, "you know, the usual." Sora's face gained a grin as they approached a door.

"In the event that he tries to do that," he whispered as a guard opened the door. "I have my hands free…" he left his sentence hanging as they were brought forward into the room. Lord Beckett was talking to Mr. Mercer about something or other before he glanced at the new entry.

"Lord Beckett, the prisoners as ordered," the guard proclaimed. Beckett glanced down at Will's shackled hands.

"Those won't be necessary," he said, indicating the handcuffs, before noticing that Sora's hands were not bound. "And where might I ask are yours?" he asked Sora with interest. Sora deftly put his hand behind his back.

"Do you mean," he responded slowly as he made the irons appear in his hidden hand, slowly bringing it back out into view, "these?" Sora smirked and let them drop on the ground. Beckett dismissed the soldiers and Mercer before pouring three wine glasses half-full of port. He offered two of them in turn to Sora and Will. Will adamantly refused his glass while Sora simply put up his hands and said that he didn't drink. Lord Beckett then walked over to the fireplace, speaking to them all the while.

"The East India Trading Company has need of your services," said he. "We need you to act as agents in a business transaction with our mutual friend Captain Sparrow."

"More acquaintance than friend," Will said. "How do you know him?"

"We've had dealings in the past," Beckett answered as he lifted up a piece of metal from the fire. "And we've each left our mark, upon the other."

"What mark did he leave on you?" Will asked.

"He's a pirate," Sora answered obviously. "He probably attacked one of their ships." Beckett left the question unanswered and turned to face them.

"By your efforts," he said, "Jack Sparrow was set free. I want you to go to him and recover a certain property in his possession."

"Recover?" Will scoffed. "At the point of a sword?" Sora placed a hand to his chin.

"I don't think Jack is going to give us anything freely," he said. Beckett placed his glass of port down on table.

"That Sora," he said, striding over to a box bearing his company emblem, "is why you will bargain with him." He opened the box and withdrew a document in a pouch. "Letters of Marque," he said, answering Sora's inquiring glance. "You will offer what amounts to a full pardon. Jack will be free, a privateer in the employ of England."

"Somehow I don't think Jack will take employment the same as being free," Will said.

"Freedom," Beckett scoffed quietly before heading onto a balcony, motioning for Will and Sora to accompany him. "Jack Sparrow is a dying breed," he said as they observed men hoisting the giant face of a clock upwards to a tower. "The world is shrinking, the blank edges of the map filled in. Jack must find his place in the new world or perish. Not unlike yourselves," Beckett said, turning towards Sora and Will. "You, your fiancées and your friend all face the hangman's noose." Sora and Will immediately looked at each other in surprise.

"You and Kairi are engaged?" Will asked incredulously as Sora gaped and flustered like a fish out of water.

"No!" he gasped his face crimson. "By Calypso, we're only fifteen! Not to mention we've only been going out for a week, though it seems like much longer," he added in an undertone. Beckett chuckled a little.

"Sorry, my mistake," he said. "As I was saying before…"

"So you get both Jack and the _Black Pearl_," Will interrupted. Beckett looked inquiringly at him

"The _Black Pearl_?" he asked.

"The property you want that he possesses," Sora answered.

"A ship? Hardly." Beckett began looking at the two of them, as if trying to read their faces. "The item in question is considerably smaller and far more valuable. Something Sparrow keeps on his person at all times. A compass?" Sora shifted his gaze out to the sea, remembering that on all the voyages he had been on with Jack there had been a little black compass he had always kept with him. Beckett saw the look of remembrance in his eyes. "Ah, you know it," he said. "Bring back that compass, or there's no deal." He then looked at the dock himself and pointed to a small schooner.

"I have a ship ready for you," he said. "The crew will take you to one destination and one destination only in your search for Sparrow, and then they'll return here to give me a report." Beckett then dismissed them and Sora walked out with Will at his side. Upon leaving the room they bumped into a man with an enormous powdered wig wearing grayish blue clothes.

"Oh, I am dreadfully sorry," the man said, brushing himself off.

"Governor Swan," Will remarked in recognition. Weatherby Swan looked up in astonishment.

"William," he said before hastily looking around. "What are you doing here?" Sora looked up at Will, who nodded, and together they grabbed the Governor's arms.

"We're heading back to the jail to let Elizabeth, Kairi, and Max know what just happened in our meeting with Lord Beckett," Sora said. Governor Swan looked faintly amused.

"Well, it's nice to know that," he said pleasantly as they dragged him through the streets. "But I can walk you know." Will looked down and released the governor before striding off towards the jail again.

Arriving inside Will and Sora marched past the guard towards their cells.

"You can't be in here," the guard postulated but Governor Swan silenced him.

"I think you'll find they can," he said as Sora spotted Kairi sitting at the back of the cell they had shared. Sora barely registered the governor and guard arguing while he filled Kairi in as Max leant next to the bars to hear as well.

"I'm going with you," she said when he had finished at last. Sora shook his head and Kairi began fuming. "Why not?" she asked violently. Sora looked meekly at the iron bars between them.

"You're locked up," he said quietly. Kairi then surprised him when she smiled.

"You think these bars will keep us apart?" she asked sweetly. "Move away from them for a moment." Sora did as he was told and backed away until his back was against the stone wall. Kairi had backed away as well until both were as far away from the cell door as possible. A shield characteristic of a reflega spell surrounded the cell door moments before a conflagration of fire and power erupted directly on the bars, wrenching them apart and sending bits of metal hurtling into the shield, falling with a tinkling sound on the ground around the hole in the iron construct. Kairi stepped out lightly as Sora and all assembled looked at her in awe. Sora snapped out of it first as she placed a hand to his shoulder.

"Good one Kai," he said as he turned towards the stairs. Will had just finished with Elizabeth and rose to join them.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon," he said to Elizabeth as the guard and Governor Swan backed away in fear, "hopefully Kairi won't have killed me by the time we see each other again." Kairi looked at him and smirked as they made their way out. Max, still in the cell with Elizabeth looked comfortingly at her.

"Don't worry," he said. "Kairi won't hurt him unless he gets in her way, much less kill him." Elizabeth nodded and inclined her head at Max.

"Aren't you upset that you aren't going with them?" she asked. Max rested his head in his now free hands and leant back against the stone.

"Nah," he said. "I'd probably fee like a third wheel at any rate. I do most of the time. Besides," he began looking around the cell in interest, taking in every detail, "I've never been in jail before. Might be a good learning experience in case for whatever reason I'm somehow in jail again." Elizabeth laughed and rested with him but Governor Swan was staring at the two of them with a thin lip, thinking.

"We must find our own avenue to secure your freedom," he said at last and Max cocked open an eye out of the pair that had been closed.

"You don't have faith in Sora and Kairi?" he asked.

"Or is it Will and Jack?" the governor's daughter continued.

"The fact that they would risk their lives for Sparrow does not mean that he would do the same for them!" he answered bitterly. Max chuckled and closed his eye again.

"He'd better," Max said. "Or else he'll find a keyblade or two sticking him through the gut."

* * *

_Well, I hope you all like how I'm going through Pirates 2. As many of you probably noticed before when I went through Hook I'm going to keep it pretty in line as well, though I shall add my own few twists to everything. Just a hint, it ends the same way as the movie, the filler in the middle is changed a little though._

_Please leave a review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	17. The Dutchman

_And here we go, the second part of my Pirates 2 segment. Hope you all enjoy it._

_Disclaimer: You know the drill, savvy?_

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XVII: The Dutchman

Sora, Kairi, and Will stepped into the cabin aboard the _Arrow_, the ship that was to take them to Tortuga, and sat down around a circular table with a set of tea.

"So Sora," Will began as he poured three teacups of orange tea, "I have observed that we haven't had much time for a good chat yet. So tell me, how goes you and the other worlds?" Sora picked up his cup of tea and saucer and sat back in a comfortable armchair.

"It's a long story," he said before taking a sip of his tea and scalding his tongue. Letting out a small yelp of pain Sora placed his tea back on the table. "Too hot," he said as Will and Kairi began laughing.

"That's why you put in cream and sugar Sora," Kairi said as she leant back in her own chair and taking a sip of her comfortably warm tea. Sora hastened to follow Kairi's advice before trying his tea again. Finding it satisfactory, he leant back in his chair once more and postulated again that it was a long tale.

"We have time Sora," Will said gesturing around him. "Tell me, what all has happened since you left after we dropped that chest of Aztec gold into the depths?"

Sora immediately set into recalling the events that had transpired after his second departure of Port Royal, excluding once again his daydream in Halloween Town, culminating in the current events of the previous week with some help from Kairi. Will nodded mostly in understanding as he took in all of this information, but a few parts still confused him.

"So," he recapped to himself as he though aloud. "Your enemy has returned and is setting about to conquer or destroy all the worlds as you say. And she has two powerful Nobodies under her control, just like the members of the former Organization. Yet you also say that you both have Nobodies of your own, may we be introduced?" Will looked up expectantly between the two teenagers as they silently communicated with their others. At first Will could not see the spectral images of Roxas and Naminé, but they appeared before him in a flash as the both wielded their keyblades. The Fenrir and Sleeping Lion in Roxas' hands while the Island's Fire resided in Naminé's palm. With a flash the blades vanished and Roxas and Naminé took to being their normal transparent figures, now visible to William.

"You know," Roxas said as he turned to look at Naminé, "it gets a little tiring having to always pull out our keyblades so we can be seen." Naminé sighed and nodded her head slowly as William stood up.

"It is a pleasure to meet the both of you," he said with a bow. Naminé giggled a little, but returned the bow all the same.

"It's nice to actually meet you as well," she said with a smile as she lifted her head, blue eyes boring into his as if trying to decipher Will's innermost secrets.

"You've got a pretty cool job from what I hear," Roxas said as he returned from his own bow. "Smithing swords and metalworking sounds pretty cool." Will laughed a little and looked at Roxas.

"Actually it is very hot work," he joked. "But I do get to spend a long time practicing with the swords I make. I distinctly remember Jack telling me to find a girl after I told him that." Sora and Roxas chuckled in laughter.

"Well, you found Elizabeth," Kairi said, a wry smile on her lips as she looked at her boyfriend. The door to the cabin suddenly opened and a marine stepped in.

"Sirs, Ma'am," he said, inclining his head at the three of them. "We've arrived in Tortuga." The redcoat then stepped back outside, closing the door behind him.

"Already?" Kairi asked, raising an eyebrow. Sora cocked his head at her.

"The Caribbean is a small place," he said, almost in disbelief as they all made their way to the door. "The whole time I spent here last time was all one night!" Roxas and Will chuckled as the Nobodies went back into their familiars' bodies. Kairi opened the door to see the deck of the ship with its four deck cannons, and beyond a town full of old fogies and old sea salts, as well as many drunken men who wore hats with three points in varying colours and sizes far off in the distance. Kairi could just discern some men shooting their pistols at rum bottles that stood on the heads of other men while others were carousing with women. Kairi grimaced and wrinkled her nose as it inhaled the stagnant smell of rum.

_So this is a pirate town_, Naminé said in her mind. _It seems pretty rough_.

_I know I wouldn't like to live here_, Kairi thought back, _I prefer our islands to this place_. She began following Sora and William past the four black deck cannons towards the gangplank and down onto the docks.

"We'll start our search for Jack here," Will said as the _Arrow_ began to make preparations for departing back to Port Royal. "Kairi and I will search the docks, one on each end. Sora, you look in town." Sora nodded and Will glanced up at the face of a large clock. It still worked, but being in a pirate town had had its implications on how pristine it was. "Let's meet back here in one hour." Kairi and Sora nodded and the group began walking off; Kairi to the east side of the docks, Will to the west, and Sora northward into town.

"Be careful Sora," Kairi whispered before they parted ways. "That place looks rough." Sora simply grinned at her and walked backwards.

"Aren't I always?" he asked. Kairi grimaced at him and placed her hands on her hips, just above the waistline on her pink skirt.

"No," she said truthfully. Sora just waved it off and turned away.

"See you in an hour," he called. Kairi scoffed her head upwards and shook it at him as she also walked away, but as she turned Kairi couldn't resist a smile. That was the attitude of the Sora she fell in love with, and as much as she sometimes disapproved of the carefree attitude he had, like at the current moment, she still loved it.

* * *

An hour later Kairi returned to a now empty stretch of boardwalk, disgusted at all she had seen. She had been able to glean little information from the men at her end of the docks about Jack. One man to whom Jack owed four dubloons said he was dead, another said that Jack was drunk in Singapore, a few said that they had never heard of him while about ten said that he was being chased across the Atlantic by Commodore Norrington. All the other sailors at the docks had kept true to their reputation of being sailors and tried to take advantage of her, a teenage girl with a heavenly figure and particularly nice assets. Kairi had had different ideas in mind, ones that did not involve her lying down on the docks getting raped, and a few quick skirmishes with her keyblade with a couple of blasts of chilled water had set them straight before any harm could come to her well being.

She arrived back at their meeting place to see Will standing with a man with long and lanky black hair and dark skin, and Sora walking in from town rubbing his cheek. As Kairi stopped she noticed that Sora was rubbing a red mark on said cheek, a red mark that gave the appearance as if he'd been slapped, hard.

"I thought I told you to be careful," Kairi reprimanded once he got within earshot. Sora looked up at her in interest with an eyebrow raised.

"I was," he retorted. "I didn't drink any rum; I didn't get into any fights, though it seems that you did." He gestured at the Oathkeeper, resting in Kairi's hands. "But I did find out that Jack hasn't been here in a month," he continued indicating the slap mark. "I need to give Jack a message from Giselle when we find him." Will laughed at him before introducing the man next to him as a man who caught shrimp.

"He says he can take us to the _Black Pearl_," Will said. The man nodded.

"I can't say about Jack," he said in a Jamaican accent, "but we'll find a ship where we're heading. A ship with black sails."

* * *

Sora held a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked at an island. Lush tropical forests grew just inward of the beach, traveling up a mountain and seeming to go on forever. But Sora wasn't looking at the scenery; he was instead staring intently on a wooden vessel that lay beached on shore. The wood was dark and stained from dry sea spray and cannons were strapped to the deck to prevent them from falling onto the soft sand. Its two great masts and rear mast had their black sails furled up while ropes led all around the ship to stakes in the ground.

"It's the _Pearl_ alright," Sora said as the shrimper closed his spyglass.

"My brother will take you three ashore," he said, leading them to a longboat. They got inside with another man with dark skin who began rowing them towards the island. After a few minutes the man stopped and looked at the three of them.

"What's wrong?" Will asked. "The beach is right there."

"Ne bougeais pas, c'est trop dangereux," the man said.

"What?" Sora asked as Kairi gave the man a confused look.

"Je ne peux, c'est trop dangereux, j'avais le dit." Will seemed to understand this at least and stood up, preparing to jump overboard. "Bon voyage, monsieurs, madam." Will leapt off into the water and after the boat had steadied itself Sora and Kairi followed suit. The three swam ashore, Will's sword hanging in his belt, before approaching the _Pearl_ as Kairi wrung the water out of her hair.

"What do you say to flying instead of swimming next time Sora?" she asked, swinging her damp auburn hair out of her eyes. The box of pixie dust appeared in Sora's hands as William began calling for Jack.

"Good idea," Sora said, sprinkling the precious dust over the two of them before vanishing the box. He then turned to look at the ship and began calling out names as well.

"Anybody?" Will asked quietly after a moment. Kairi looked into the forest while Sora continued to look around the ship.

"Maybe they went in there?" she asked, pointing in the direction of what appeared to be a path through the trees. Will came up to her and cocked his head at it in interest, Sora behind him. The three began advancing into the growth when a blue and yellow parrot flew onto a branch near them.

"Look," Sora said, pointing at the bird, "it's Cotton's parrot." The bird squawked at them when they stopped to look up at it.

"Rawk! Don't eat me!" it exclaimed.

"We're not going to eat you," Will said in a confused tone as he turned his back on the parrot and moved further into the wood.

"Don't eat me!" Cotton's parrot continued. "No! Don't eat me! Arkkk!" The threesome continued further into the jungle and a sense of unease took hold over Sora and Kairi. They lived on a tropical island, they had ventured into its jungles, but they had never felt the same dread as they did here with every step they took. Sora's sharpened senses took over and he kept looking around as if eyes were watching him. Something suddenly caught his eye; a brown water pouch was hanging on a tree. Will had seen the same thing and picked it up.

"Gibbs," he muttered, finding a string on the skein. Kairi looked at the string with unease as she desperately threw a glance behind her.

"I don't like the look of that string Will," she said, biting her lip. Will looked back at the two teens.

"It might lead to Jack," he said as he began to follow it past a large tree. A cry suddenly came from the tree and a man wearing superb camouflage paint startled Will and set off a trap snare under him. Will was flung upwards into the canopy on the rope as more savages with spears came out from hiding. Will drew his sword and keyblades appeared in Sora and Kairi's hands. The teens quickly fell back to where Will was hanging and arranged themselves into a defensive position against the encircling savages. Will began attacking wildly with his sword as Sora and Kairi simply stood, their hands gripping their weapons defensively. Half of the savages looked to one man with a bone through his nose that held a blowgun. The man took aim and fired a dart into Will's neck. Sora looked up at his companion as Will let his sword drop, unconscious.

"Will!" he cried in distress before feeling a prick in his neck. Sora suddenly began feeling incredibly weary and tired. Sora fell over face first onto the foliage, the Oblivion disappearing under him in a white shimmer. Kairi looked at him and was about to call his name when she felt the sting of a dart in her own neck and within seconds had succumbed to its poison, dropping next to Sora like a stone.

* * *

Sora awoke to find his hands and feet bound to a bamboo pole that was being carried by two of the men that had captured him. His neck was immediately noticeable as stiff and sore and it hurt Sora when he craned it to get a look around. He was being carried headfirst up a mountain slope with a village on the heights. Kairi was behind him and if he arched his neck just right, he could make out William Turner in the front. A pained moan sounded from Kairi as she woke up.

"Oh, my neck is killing me," she moaned, circling her head around to exercise the muscles. Sora chuckled at her and she swiveled her head around to just see him.

"Mine is too," he said in a pained voice before looking up at the ropes on his hands. "But these chafing ropes are really hurting my wrists." Kairi giggled as Sora kept his upbeat attitude.

"Nothing gets you down, does it Sora?" she asked humourously. Sora raised an eyebrow as he continued to look at her.

"Falling down that ridge might," he said inclining his head towards a cliff face where there appeared to be two cages made of bones. Kairi followed his gaze and grimaced.

_There are worse ways to go_, she thought.

They were carried up to what could be called a village square with Will's pole being borne in the front and Sora and Kairi's flanking his yet a little behind it to give the impression of a triangle or a v-shape.

"Hurry-hurry tan daga!" the chief hunter who had brought them there announced to a man wearing white with eyes painted across his face and an ornate native headdress.

"Jack?" Sora heard Will say. "Jack Sparrow! I can honestly say I'm glad to see you!" Jack rose from the throne and walked towards Will and poked him in the shoulder, as if checking to see how meaty he was. Kairi turned her head towards Sora as they half-witnessed Jack's strange antics.

"That's Captain Jack Sparrow?" she whispered. Sora nodded his head and looked at Jack.

"Jack!" Sora said. "It's us! Remember?" Jack paid no attention to Sora and instead turned to the chief native.

"Way-say kohn," said Jack.

"Een dah-lah. Eeseepi." The native replied, banging his staff on the ground while the crowd behind him repeated his last word.

"Can you tell them to let us down?" Kairi asked, speaking to Jack at last. Jack ignored her as well and continued speaking to the native.

"Kay-lay lam," he said gesturing towards Will. "Lam piki-piki. Lam eensy weensy." Jack knelt down nearby Will's legs. "Lam say-say... eunuchy. Snip-snip." At this he moved his fingers together as if they were scissors.

"Ahhh…" the tribe moaned in understanding and displeasure, "eunuchy." Jack turned away from them in disinterest and Sora was able to spot a black compass hanging from his belt.

"Jack! The compass!" Will said. "That's all we need!" Jack stopped for a moment but kept his back turned. That motion was all Sora needed to know that he was listening to them.

"We were arrested for helping you before!" Sora yelled. "Elizabeth and Goofy's son are in danger!"

"They are to be hanged!" Kairi added, her voice ringing with desperation. Jack stayed facing away from them for a moment, which annoyed Sora to the point where he opened his bound palm as much as he could and briefly muttered a spell. The black compass flew off of Jack's belt and pelted straight into Sora's waiting hand.

"I've got the compass," he announced gladly. Jack turned around and stared at it before looking back and forth between where it had been and where it now was.

"Oi!" Jack yelled as he walked his silly walk up to Sora and snatched it back. Jack fingered and caressed the object for a moment before looking into Sora's eyes with an unreadable expression. "My compass," he whispered. Sora inclined his head away and sighed before looking at Kairi.

"Well," he sighed, "I tried." Kairi giggled a little as Jack gave an order to the natives, who didn't understand at first.

"Ball licky-licky," Jack said at the end, gesturing at the three captives.

"Ball licky-licky!" One yelled before the rest began chanting. The pole Sora was attached to began to move again as they were carried out.

"Jack, what did you tell them?" Will asked frantically. "No! What about Elizabeth? Jack!"

"It hasn't even been one day Sora!" Kairi yelled at him as her pole fell in behind his again. "Not one day! And I've already seen worse than Neverland three times now!" Sora looked down at Kairi in confusion. _Three times?_

"What was the second time?" he inquired. Kairi puffed her lip up and blew some of her red bangs out of her eyes.

"Some men at the docks tried to rape me," she growled. Sora felt his blood boil in anger at her statement, but that was quickly replaced by anxiety and worry. She could have been hurt and brutally lost her virginity or worse, and he hadn't been there for her. Kairi craned her neck at him and saw his downcast face. "Don't worry," she comforted, "I said they _tried,_ they didn't even get close to taking my skirt off, not with the magic you taught me anyway." She ended with a smirk at this and saw his face brighten.

_You see,_ Roxas commented to Sora. _You were there for her. Not physically, but by teaching her magic you were able to help her even without being there._ Sora could just discern Roxas laughing as well. _By the way, you worry too much. Kairi's well trained and can hold her own against __**you!**__ Do you honestly think that a few measly pirates could be able to take her down and rape her even if he didn't have her keyblade out?_ Sora chuckled a little as well.

_I guess you're right Roxas,_ he thought. _Kairi can take care of herself, but that still doesn't stop me from worrying about her._

_You don't have to stop,_ Roxas continued, _you just have to stop beating yourself up if she gets into a little trouble. She worries about you but she doesn't feel like a piece of crap after you get into a bit of a fix._ Sora's face took an inquiring look.

_And how would you know that?_ He asked.

_Naminé,_ Roxas answered simply. Sora chuckled a little more and suddenly became aware of natives hacking away his bonds. With a jolt his hands became free and Sora's body fell for the ground, his head hitting the dirt with a soft thump. Sora rubbed the developing goose egg as Roxas sniggered in the background. His feet then became loose and fell away as well. Before Sora could get up on his own some tribesmen roughly grabbed him and threw him into a cage made of bone. They then slammed the door of the cage shut and pushed it off a cliff face, the rope it was attached to keeping it from plunging into the abyss. As soon as the cage stopped moving and Sora's heart stopped racing from the fear of falling he looked around inside the cage as the sound of drums beat down from the village far away. Will and Kairi were in it, as well as three members of the _Black Pearl_'s crew, Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton.

"Gibbs," Sora said upon seeing the old sea-dog's white-whiskered face. "It's nice to see you again." Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton seemed incredibly surprised to see him.

"Sora," Gibbs said in recognition. "By God how did they capture you?"

"Poison darts," Kairi answered, rubbing her neck. Gibbs and the crew looked at Kairi.

"A… friend of yours Sora?" Marty asked. Sora nodded his head.

"Yes," he answered. "Kairi, this is Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Cotton, and Marty. Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, this is my girlfriend Kairi." After shaking Kairi's hand Gibbs gave Sora a grand look.

"You have great taste Sora," he said. "Couldn't have picked a better one."

"So you're all real pirates then," Kairi asked, her sapphire eyes glaring down on Gibbs.

"Aye, that be true," he answered. "Too bad the Pelegostos made Jack their chief."

"Why would he do this though," Will said at last. "If Jack is their chief."

"Aye," Gibbs answered, "but he's only chief as long as he acts like a chief."

"So he had no choice," Kairi said. "He's a captive as much as the rest of us." She then sighed and turned to Sora. "That's four times now."

"Worse… as it turns out," Gibbs continued, glancing between Sora and Kairi in discomfort. "See the Pelegostos believe that Jack is a God in human form. And they intend to do him the honor of releasing him from his fleshy prison." Cotton bit down hard on Gibbs' fingers for emphasis, causing a crunching sound. Gibbs suppressed a cry of pain and merely grunted. "They'll roast him and eat him," he finished after he got the pain under control. Kairi looked at Gibbs, horrified.

"Five now Sora," she said before glancing at Cotton. "Why doesn't he talk?"

"His tongue got cut out," Gibbs answered, "so we trained his parrot to talk for him. Bloody bird flew away after we got captured."

"Where are the other crewmen?" Will asked, glancing at the other cage about fifty feet away to his right.

"You see these cages we're in?" Gibbs asked. "They weren't built 'til after we got here." Sora immediately drew his hands away from the bones in disgust and floated into the center of the cage, Kairi having done so a split second before him having anticipated what Gibbs was saying before he finished.

"Six," she breathed, holding back a sickly retch. Gibbs looked up as the drums that still filled the air grew in intensity.

"The feast is about to begin," he announced grimly. "Jack's life will end, when the drums stop."

"Well we can't just sit here and wait then can we?" Will asked as he shoved his weight against the side of the cage, making it rock forward some. The bones that were now moving forward smacked Sora upside the head and sent his floating body into a flip that resulted in his head contacting Gibbs' shoulder.

"Come on now lad," Gibbs roared. "This isn't the time to be playing around we have to get out of here." Sora grimaced and they all began working towards swinging the cage enough to grab some vines on the other side as circus music filled Sora's ears.

_Roxas stop fooling around,_ he thought after he was finally able to grab a vine. _I need to concentrate._

"Put your legs through, start to climb!" Gibbs ordered as the cage slowly began crawling up the cliff.

"Come on men!" Will shouted. "It will take all the rest to crew the _Black Pearl_!"

"Actually, you won't need everyone!" someone in the other cage shouted. "'Bout six would do." Both of the cages stopped momentarily as they each considered what the man had just said. Sora quickly did a count in their cage to see six, and looked into the other cage and saw six. "Oh… dear."

"Hurry!" Will yelled. Sora forsook his vine and glided up past Marty the tiny motivational speaker, and rammed his back into the top of the cage in an attempt to make it go up faster.

"Stop!" Will suddenly exclaimed quietly and Sora followed his frightened gaze to see a cannibal guard walking across a wooden rope bridge. Both cages stopped for a moment and Sora held his breath in hope that he wouldn't see them. Sora glanced over at the other cage to see it moving upwards again.

"Stop!" he hissed at them. "He'll see you." The men simply grinned and silently cackled at him until one of grabbed a snake instead of a vine. All of them started hollering in panic as they let go of their vines and plummeted downwards, the rope snapping and sending them down onto the rocky crags below. Sora watched as the cannibal viewed the one cage falling down before drawing his attention to their cage.

"MOVE!" Will roared.

"But your backs into it!" Kairi yelled in desperation as she joined Sora in ramming the top of the cage upwards. They all scrambled to get the cage up to the top of the cliff and finally succeeded as the cannibals appeared in the distance.

"Find a rock!" Will ordered. "Cut the rope loose!"

"There isn't time for a rock!" Sora retorted as he reached his hand through the bars and grabbed the rope. "Firaga!" His hand grew hot with all the heat of the sun and his grip burned right through the fibres. He quickly looked up to see the cannibals approaching fast. "Roll the cage!" he yelled. Sora flung his weight onto one side and the cage began to roll down the hill, the occupants screaming in fear. Sora felt his stomach such in on its own accord when they went over a small cliff and thankfully landed on the other side. Moments later they rolled up a coconut tree and lost all their speed as the cage fell back on the ground, still unbroken. Sora staggered to his feet with a pounding head as a dart whizzed past his ear. He turned to see the entire cannibal village chasing after them with weapons drawn.

"Lift the cage!" Will ordered frantically.

"Come on men!" Gibbs yelled in motivation as he grabbed some of the bones. "Lift it like a lady's skirt!" He then frantically looked at Kairi's blazing eyes and noticed that she was indeed wearing a pink skirt. "Begging your pardon miss," he said fearfully.

"You'd better be begging my pardon!" Kairi huffed as they began lugging the cage forwards, screaming in fear.

"Now is not the time Kairi!" Will yelled as he glanced backwards before putting his next foot out into nothingness. The cage plummeted downwards through a small rocky chasm into water, the bones finally breaking apart into two shells as they hit the water. Sora heaved one shell off of him and began following Gibbs towards some rocky cover as the cannibals started shooting arrows and throwing spears in after them. Sora turned around and began swimming a backstroke as he looked at the cannibals. He placed his hands outwards for a moment.

"Reflega," he said, choking on some water. The honeycomb shield set itself in place just before an arrow could be sent straight for his skull. The dart bounced off of the shield and landed harmlessly in the water nearby. More missiles connected with his spell, blocked from hitting the others, as Sora retreated behind the cover of the rock. Kairi coughed up a little water as he arrived next to her.

"You alright?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah," Sora answered before looking inquiringly at her. "You?" Kairi smiled at him before shifting a little closer to the rock.

"I've been worse," she said. The cannibals suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the chasm from them and prepared to launch a volley at them all. Sora braced himself to bring up another shield when a cannibal boy showed up directly above them and said something. The warriors immediately turned tail and left the group alone, heaving sighs of relief.

"Come on," Gibbs said after a moment. "We have to get to the _Pearl_ or there'll be no way off this God forsaken island." Sora and Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Let's go!" Will said as they swam off towards the beach. Upon arrival they saw that the _Black Pearl_ was already half in the water with a person on the beach holding a line.

"Unloose the mooring lines!" Sora heard him yell as he passed a dog before he realized the one shouting was Pintel. "The mooring lines!" Nothing happened on deck until he yelled it again. A man with sandy hair and an empty eye socket appeared, pointing at a monkey.

"He's got my eye!" Ragetti complained. "He won't give it back!"

"Well how'd you get it back last time?" Pintel asked tiredly as Gibbs came up behind him.

"Excellent work!" Gibbs exclaimed giving Pintel a pat on the shoulder. "Our work's half done!" Pintel looked up seeing their arrival and his tone of voice quickly changed.

"We done it for you!" he said in an innocent tone. "Knowin' you'd be commin' back for us."

"Make ready to sail boys!" Gibbs yelled to all present.

"What about Jack?" Will demanded. "We aren't leaving without him!"

"OI!" they heard faintly. Everyone turned their heads to see Jack running frantically on the beach towards them. Sora half smiled.

"Good old Jack," he muttered. The smile quickly slid off his face as a crowd of Pelegostos came up behind Jack, pursuing him. "Never mind, let's go!" he yelled, soaring into the air and landing on the _Pearl_'s deck.

"CAST OFF THOSE LINES!" Gibbs screeched as Kairi took to the air and landed next to Sora. "MAKE READY TO CAST OFF!" Sora leapt into action as he ran up to the rear mast, heaving a line as he did so. A black sail unfurled and began filling with wind as Gibbs and the others climbed aboard and began unfurling more sails. A wave splashed the side of the ship and Jack climbed up the rigging, drenched. Sora and Kairi immediately strode up to the waterlogged captain.

"Zola!" Jack cried in jubilation, extending his hand.

"That's Sora!" Sora retorted through a forced frown, though the edges of his lips were still pointed upwards in a smile. Jack grinned at him as he shook his hand before Sora suddenly slapped him in the face. The grin vanished off of Jack's face as he rubbed his cheek and stared at Sora as if he'd never seen him before. "Giselle," Sora explained, shaking his hand to get rid of the stinging in his palm. Jack nodded curtly.

"I thought as much," he said before turning to Kairi and frowning. "Donald?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to you?" Kairi's face became one of outrage as she drew her keyblade from white space and placed its point at Jack's neck.

"Did you just call me a duck?" she snarled, pressing the Oathkeeper's tip into Jack's skin a little. Jack raised his hands in defence as Sora slowly backed away.

_Note to self,_ he thought, _NEVER cross Kairi!_

_Good plan,_ Roxas communicated to him. _If she's anything like Naminé is when she's angry, which I seriously do not doubt, I'm not sure if you will survive._

"Oh," Jack said as the keyblade's tip went a bit deeper. "You have a blade like Sora's. Then you aren't Donald, much though your attitude resembles his." Kairi glared at Jack as she removed her blade from Sparrow's neck.

"I'm Sora's girlfriend, _Princess_ Kairi," she said, eyes not losing their fire, "remember my name." Jack placed his hands together and gave her a bow.

"I won't forget princess," he said, rising from his bow as Gibbs approached him.

"Captain," he said first to get Jack's attention. "Let's put some distance between us and this island and head out into open sea."

"Yes to the first, yes to the second, but only insofar as we keep to the shallows as much as possible," Jack responded, forgetting about Sora and Kairi for the moment.

"I believe that's a bit contradictory Captain," Gibbs said in a slightly confused voice and Jack looked at him in irritation.

"I have every faith in you reconciliatory navigational skills, Master Gibbs," he said irritably, "now where is that monkey? I want to shoot something." Jack the monkey dropped Ragetti's eye from above and proceeded to climb into the rigging. Captain Sparrow was preparing to shoot Jack with his flint pistol when Will, Sora and Kairi approached him again.

"Jack," Will said.

"Ah," Jack responded to show he was listening.

"Elizabeth is in danger," Will said, reiterating what he had said earlier.

"Have you considered keeping a closer eye on 'er?" Jack asked while walking away towards the bridge with Gibbs on the wheel. "Maybe lock 'er up or something?"

"She is locked up," Sora said. "In a prison, bound to hang for helping you."

"Same with Goofy's son, our friend Max who is also bound to hang just for being with Sora at the time," Kairi added. Jack appeared nonplussed at this news and waved it off with a flick of his wrist.

"There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes," he said. Sora pulled out the Oblivion in a threatening manner.

"So it was a mistake for me to free you of that curse last time?" he asked. "When Luxord's heartless cursed you?" Jack placed a finger to his chin trying to remember.

"Oh," he said when his face fell. "No, that was not a mistake Sora." Sora grinned and withdrew his keyblade as Will pulled out his sword, placing it near Jack's neck.

"We need that compass of yours Jack," he threatened. "We must trade it for their freedom." Jack looked strangely at William and shoved the blade aside.

"Mister Gibbs," he said.

"Cap'n!"

"We have a need to sail upriver," Jack ordered. Gibbs suddenly began to sweat and pulled nervously on his collar.

"By 'need', d'you mean a… trifling need, uh, fleeting, as in say a passing fancy?" he asked feverishly.

"No," Jack answered firmly. "A resolute and unyielding need."

"What we need to do is make sail for Port Royal with all haste," Will said angrily. Sora's head bobbed between the two as the conversation swayed back and forth.

"William," Jack sighed, "Sora, your highness," Jack bowed at Kairi and she smirked. For once, she was enjoying people bowing to her. "I shall trade you the compass… if you will help me to find this." Jack unfurled a piece of cloth he had silently removed from his jacket. On it was a black drawing of a key with two points. Jack's eyes suddenly glinted as he looked at Sora and Kairi. "Unless…" he whispered to himself.

"Sora!" he exclaimed and he extended his hand. "May I see your marvelous blade again?" Sora summoned the Oblivion again and handed to Jack. It stayed in his hands for a few seconds and Jack's face beamed, before it vanished and reappeared in Sora's hand.

"Not yet Jack," Sora said, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't disappointed though. The keyblade was still his, and he still didn't entirely feel like giving it up yet.

"Since that plan has just failed," Jack said, drawing their attention back to the cloth. "I want you to help me find this key."

"You want me to find this?" Will asked.

"No," Jack said slyly. "You want you to find this. Because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and/or locating and your discovering the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle ol'… what's-her-face. Savvy?" Will picked up the cloth as Sora scratched his head. He never liked it when Jack confused him like this.

"This," Will said in disbelief, "is going to save Elizabeth, and Max?"

"How much do you know about Davy Jones?" Jack asked. At the name Sora's face grew stony and Kairi looked worriedly at him. Their actions though went unheeded by any present.

"Not much," Will answered. Jack nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "It's going to save Elizabeth and Max." Sora turned away from the scene and floated up into the crow's nest, staring out at the sea. The Caribbean was a marvelous place, with the colour of ocean that so resembled the one back on the Islands.

_The waves sound the same,_ he thought bitterly before staring down at the dark wood. _But they can both get dangerous really fast._ He looked back up at the waters with both longing and loathing. He glared at the green-blue waves that gently careened over the ocean bed with disdain as the sound of boots dropping onto wood sounded behind him. He inhaled the regular sea scent he had gotten used to as well as a certain vanilla-strawberry perfume.

"You dropped the honey Kai," he said quietly without turning around.

"I got bored with it," she said. Sora felt her hand on his shoulder as she shook it slightly. "Sora," he heard her say as she took a few paces forward to bring her head level with his, "what's wrong? What is it about Davy Jones?" Sora sighed and looked into her own blue eyes.

"Davy Jones is an immortal menace who attacks ships for the fun of it," he said. "No matter what world they're on, he can command his ship, the _Flying Dutchman_, to surface and strike." Sora then turned away and gazed out at the sun. "Twelve years ago, when I was three, my father was a fisherman on our islands. Our family had owned a whole fishing company and fleet. My dad was good, no the best there ever was, or so people say." Sora sighed and dropped his head down to look at his shoes. "One day when they were out at sea, a ship that looked as if it had been sailing on the ocean forever, with ragged sails and rotting wood with dozens of cannons, surfaced from the depths and viciously attacked my father's vessel and the whole fleet with their cannons and a monster from below the sea that had giant tentacles. All the survivors, the crew of one ship, the _Excalibur,_ who made it back to the islands said that my dad's ship, named the _Highwind_, was the last to fall, and the most valiant, using harpoon guns to try and fight off the tentacles. Some said that they could still see my dad fighting on deck with a sword, but then a tentacle destroyed the ship and they couldn't see his body among the wreckage. They gave their condolences to my mother, but no ships were ever built again and fishing was left to the shallows for fear of Davy Jones' wrath again. I think Riku's dad was one of the crewmen of the _Excalibur._" Kairi placed her arm around him, drawing him into her warmth.

"I never knew," she whispered. "I guess that was another reason to go on the raft we were building, to find your father." Sora nodded quietly.

"I also didn't remember it at the time," he said after a pause. "But when Riku and I were racing to see who would be captain of our raft and who would name it, I had no idea he wanted to name it after my father's ship." He hung his head and laughed a little. "Riku's such a great friend that way. I guess he was jealous of me even before then and thought it a way to show how much he admired me." Kairi looked at him fondly.

"Why would Riku be jealous of you?" she asked. Sora smiled a little in remembrance of the short time he had spent in the realm of darkness with his best friend.

"He said that he wished he could live life the way I do," Sora explained. "Just following his heart. He had always wanted to be better than me in everything else, just to compensate for that. But he didn't know that because he did that he made me feel silly and want to be like him." Sora chuckled a little and glanced at his love. "I think he also had a bit of a crush on you and wanted to you to like him over me." Kairi's cheeks blushed a little and Sora turned back to sea-gazing, sniggering.

"To tell the truth," she said coyly after her face had cooled off. "I had always admired how strong he was, and I think I had a bit of a crush on him too." Sora looked up at her, not surprised.

"Then what made you pick me?" he asked. Kairi shook her head.

"I don't think I consciously picked you over Riku," she said. "I think my heart just seemed to tell me you were the one. We seemed to be able to talk more and have more enjoying conversations together than I did with Riku. We also played better and I think your heart was also drawing you closer to me. I remember sneaking up on you and Riku when you were defending my right to go into yours and Riku's secret place." Sora grinned and remembered the look of the rocks throughout their little hideaway. The rocks etched with strategies Tidus and Wakka had come up with for Blitzball, other ones with drawings of the monster Sora had imagined lived in the place, and the one with Sora and Kairi sharing the star shaped paopu fruit. "Hey Sora," Kairi asked coyly with red cheeks as she had been thinking of the same thing, "did you happen to see my drawing?" Sora nodded his head and smiled, turning to face Kairi. They came forward and kissed for a moment as the _Pearl_ sailed through the waves. They broke apart with their foreheads resting on each other's.

"When we get home," Sora said. "Let's share one, for real." Kairi smiled and giggled a little as she rested her head on his shoulder while they both looked out into the sea to begin watching for land.

"I'd like that," she said as the sun's rays danced off the water. A comforting and calming silence passed between them for the longest time as the waves broke on the ship's hull.

"Hey Sora," Kairi said at last, "what was your father like?" Sora looked up in remembrance of the framed pictures in his house of his mother and father together, one of his dad alone, and a couple of a little boy with short, spiky hair laughing on a man's shoulders while he pulled at a brown beard.

"My dad's name was Mac," he said proudly. "He was tall, with slightly spiked chocolate hair, and a great, rugged beard that was surprisingly soft to touch. I remember I used to run my fingers through it all the time and tug at it while my dad laughed in a joyous, booming laugh. His eyes were emerald green, and my mom says that they twinkled softly whenever he looked at anyone with kindness, which was most of the time. I've heard that he was proud, kind, gentle, and understanding. Actually, I've never heard a bad word against him." His eyes suddenly twinkled with the light he described as he turned to look at Kairi. "You know? Now that I think about it, even though I resent Jones for taking his life, I'm proud of him. He probably saved that ship with Riku's father on it with his last stand." Kairi looked into the blue eyes of the boy she loved and smiled.

"He was valiant then," she said, giving him a hug and rubbing his back. "Like father, like son." She sniffed in his cinnaminy-minty smell with longing. "I'm glad you inherited your father's courage, I think you could have made it through to save me the first time without it though. You seem to have enough of your own." Sora chuckled as he held her.

"I think I could've too," he said, "but I think it really shone through when I was fighting Riku to defend your heart, and when we were fighting Xehanort's heartless to defend Kingdom Hearts and the worlds." Kairi looked up at him in admiration again, and softly kissed his lips.

"OI!"

They both suddenly broke apart to see Jack yelling at them from the helm with Gibbs.

"Are you two looking out or making out?" he yelled. Sora and Kairi instantly blushed crimson.

"Looking out Captain!" they simultaneously retorted.

"Well there's our destination!" Gibbs yelled, pointing out at a large river going into an island. "And I didn't hear anyone yell 'land ho!'" Sora looked at the river for a few seconds before his head swiveled back to Gibbs and Jack.

"Oops," he whispered to Kairi, as she giggled at their mistake.

"Land Ho!" Kairi yelled, in the opposite direction to which Jack was facing.

"Now that isn't very nice princess," Jack yelled as they readied longboats to leave the ship. "As punishment for your cheek the two of you must stay aboard and guard the ship while we head upriver." Kairi looked at Sora and smirked before drawing her attention back to the captain.

"Understood sir," she said. They watched from the crow's nest as Jack, Will, Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, Cotton's Parrot, Pintel and Ragetti all got into two longboats and rowed upriver. When they had vanished from sight Kairi turned to look at Sora. "What do we do now?" As an answer, the Oblivion appeared in Sora's hand.

"We haven't sparred in a while," he said with a glint in his eyes. Suddenly Roxas and Naminé appeared in the crow's nest, wielding their own blades.

"Team battle," Naminé declared, before having to retreat from the lookout onto the rigging as the crow's nest had become too crowded. Kairi grinned and summoned the Oathkeeper with a flourish.

"Maybe this time someone is going to win," Kairi said as she leapt into the air with a back flip, Sora and Roxas flying up to the opposite side while Naminé rose to join Kairi. The four faced off in the air, standing as it were, as they sized up the other side. Sora held the Oblivion tightly in his hands above his head, pointed downwards so the black blade crossed across his bangs in a diagonal cut. Roxas was next to him, taking the pose that his samurai nobodies used after they unsheathed their katanas, the Sleeping Lion in his right hand angled outwards and upwards with the Fenrir in an exact duplicate position in his left hand. Kairi faced them off with the Oathkeeper poised behind her back, arching upwards enough to reveal the starry key just next to the left side of her head as a ball of pure electricity formed and crackled in her left hand. Naminé stood with the golden, fiery blade of Island's Fire poised above her head, pointing straight at the two boys as her arms arched it back. The stance continued for a straight ten minutes, neither team moving away from their silent taunting as the sun quickly set until Kairi straightened up.

"We won't win," she said, hanging her head. "I surrender." Sora and the others were incredibly taken aback and Sora almost lost himself in the air. Plummeting thirty feet onto the _Black Pearl_'s deck was not appealing.

"Seriously?" he asked. Kairi head suddenly popped up a playful grin adorning her face.

"Nope," she said as she let the thunder magic stored in her left hand fly. Sora and Roxas quickly weaved out of the way as the bolts sizzled right through the air where they had been. Sora deftly brought his keyblade up to block as Kairi appeared in front of him, swinging hers downwards.

The sounds of ringing metal, crackling flames, and sizzling electricity filled the night air as the contest came underway.

* * *

Max and Elizabeth were sitting calmly in their cell in Port Royal's dungeon. Prisoners were reaching through the cell bars of the adjacent cell, whistling and catcalling at Elizabeth. Max cracked open an eye and looked at them.

"If I were actually a dog," he yawned while stretching his arms, "I'd probably be barking at them." Elizabeth laughed a little before a guard came up to their cell door and unlocked it. Governor Swan stepped out from the shadows wearing a traveling cloak and stood in the entranceway.

"Come with me," he ordered. Max and Elizabeth ignored the prisoners' complaints and rose to follow her father through the fort.

"Our name still has some standing with the King," the governor explained. "I have arranged passage to England, the captain is a friend of mine." Elizabeth stopped in her tracks.

"NO!" she exclaimed quietly, fearful of prying ears. "Will has gone to find Jack!" Her father quickly went back to her and grabbed her upper arm, dragging her along with him.

"We cannot count on William Turner," he said. "Come!"

"Then we'll count of Sora and Kairi!" Max exclaimed as he followed along. "They won't fail, and William seems to be a better man than you give him credit for."

"Now is not the time for innocence," Governor Swan interjected as they neared a carriage waiting outside the fort. "Please, Lord Beckett has offered one pardon only, one! And that is promised to Jack Sparrow. Even if they succeed," Swan then turned and looked t his daughter in the eyes, "do not ask me to endure the sight of my daughter walking to the gallows. Do not." He quickly ushered the two of them into the carriage. "Perhaps," he continued, "I can ensure a fair trial for them if they return."

"A fair trial for them ends in a hanging," Elizabeth growled.

"Then there is nothing for you here," her father said as he snapped the door shut. Max looked at his companion.

"Sora and Kairi will die before they hang," he said suddenly as the horses outside began moving. Elizabeth looked at him inquiringly. Max noticed her look and shrugged his shoulders. "I just meant that…" he said, trying to defend himself. Elizabeth shook her head.

"I know what you mean," she said in understanding before looking out the window. They continued on in silence for a few minutes until she began to mutter. "This isn't going to work," she said quietly. "Beckett probably already knows we're gone. We need to get out of this carriage as soon as it stops."

"Then where?" Max asked.

"We get the Letters of Marque in his office," she explained, "then we find a ship and try to get to Tortuga to find Will and the others." Max nodded his head.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. The carriage stopped and Max looked to see they were near the docks. He heard the Governor speak to them.

"Wait inside." Elizabeth looked at Max as soon as her father's back was turned.

"Now," she breathed, "out your door." Max flung open the door and stepped out, Elizabeth hot on his heels as they fled through the dark streets. Max heard footsteps and quickly flung himself into an adjacent alley. Elizabeth just got in in the nick of time as soldiers accompanied by cavalry quickly marched past their hiding place. They waited for a good thirty seconds after the last man had left before darting out into the night again.

* * *

Lord Beckett was striding through his office carrying a lantern and reading a document, analyzing profits from local ports, when his eyes caught sight of a small wooden box on his desk. The few papers that were sticking out from it had caught his attention; they hadn't been sticking out earlier. Beckett opened the box to see that the pouch containing the Letters of Marque was gone.

"No doubt you've discovered that loyalty is no longer the currency of the realm, as your father believes," he said, assuming Elizabeth was near. The woman stepped out from behind a wall behind him.

"Then what is?" she asked. Beckett turned towards her.

"I'm afraid the currency is the currency of the realm," he answered. Elizabeth began to walk forwards holding the letters.

"Then I believe we can some to some sort of understanding," she said. "We're here to negotiate."

"I'm listening, and what do you mean by 'we'?" Miss Swan suddenly pulled out a pistol and pointed it at his skull as the sound of a blade unsheathing filled the air. A moment later Beckett felt a cold tip of steel on the back of his neck. Elizabeth smirked at the half-dog youth behind Beckett. "Impeccable timing Max," she praised.

"I take pride in it," he answered with an evil grin. Beckett stole a slow glance between the two of them.

"I'm listening intently," he said uncomfortably. He shifted his gaze between her and Max again. "Would you mind calling off your smelly, idiotic goon here?" he asked politely.

"Hey!" Max retorted. "Who are you calling 'smelly'?" Elizabeth just smirked at him as Max's sword poked a little harder into Beckett's neck.

"No," she replied softly before holding the Letters up to her chest. "These Letters of Marque, they are signed by the King?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes," Beckett answered, "and they're not valid until they bear my signature and my seal."

"We wouldn't still be here if we didn't need them," Max said as he and Elizabeth lowered their weapons.

"You sent Will to get you the compass owned by Jack Sparrow," Elizabeth said. "It will do you no good."

"Do explain," Beckett goaded.

"I have been to the Isla de Muerta," Elizabeth said while advancing on the Lord, her pistol pointed now at his chin from below, "I have seen the treasure myself. And there is something you should know."

"Ah, I see," Lord Beckett said. "You think the compass leads only to the Isla de Muerta, and so you hope to save me from an evil fate. But you mustn't worry." He turned away from them and looked instead at the map of the world that adorned one wall. "I care not for cursed Aztec gold. My desires are not so provincial."

"Good," Max huffed as he kept his sword loose in his hand. "Because my father dumped that chest into the sea." Beckett turned towards them both again.

"There's more than one chest of value in these waters," he told Max before striding up to them again. "So perhaps you'd like to enhance your offer?" Elizabeth placed her pistol under his chin and cocked it while Max's sword tip pricked the back of his neck, barely drawing blood.

"Consider into your calculations that you robbed me of my wedding night," Elizabeth growled as they led Beckett over to the desk.

"So I did," he said as he signed and sealed the Letters. "A marriage interrupted, or fate intervenes. You're going to great efforts to ensure Jack Sparrow's freedom."

"These aren't going to Jack," Elizabeth said as she snatched the Letters from Beckett, but he still maintained a grip on them.

"Oh really? To ensure Mister Turner's freedom then?" He glared at the two of them as they began to retreat, Max's sword almost on his chest. "I'll still want that compass," Beckett said, his eyes boring into Max's. "Consider that into your calculations."

"Cover him Max," Elizabeth ordered as she backed away slowly. Max lifted his sword and backpedaled his way out after Elizabeth, his blade still pointed at Beckett's figure.

"Maybe I should contact Sora and Kairi and tell them not to come back to Port Royal," Max said after they were far enough away from Beckett's office. Elizabeth turned to him in surprise.

"That would be a good plan," she said, "if you had a way to do it." Max smirked at her and pressed a finger to a flesh coloured earpiece.

"Sora, Kairi," he said. "Can you hear me?" Instead of the static that normally buzzed, a woman's automated voice played into his ear.

"The device you are trying to reach," it said, "is out of range or has been disabled. Please try again later." Max's eyes gaped in surprise as he ripped the earpiece off.

"Out of RANGE?!" he gasped, looking frantically between it and Elizabeth. "I didn't know these things had a range when I built them!" Elizabeth looked down glumly as they continued through the night streets.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were standing next to Jack and Gibbs on the _Black Pearl_'s deck in stormy seas gazing out past Will at a ship that was broken in two and stranded on the rocks. Will looked back at them in disbelief.

"That's the _Flying Dutchman_?" Will asked. Gibbs was nodding his head frantically in fear as Sora shook some of the rainwater out of his spiked hair. Will shrugged his shoulders and looked at it again. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you, do not underestimate her." Jack then elbowed Gibbs, who had become unusually quiet.

"Must have run afoul of the reef," Gibbs said in a strained voice.

"What's your plan Will?" Sora asked.

"I row over, search the ship until I find the bloody key," he answered angrily.

"If there are crewmen?" Jack asked.

"I cut down anyone in my path." Jack nodded to Gibbs.

"I like it, simple, easy to remember." Will rose from glaring at the ship and stepped down a rope ladder to get into one of the longboats. "Hey!" Jack yelled after him. "If you do happen to get captured, just say Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt! Might save your life!" Will rowed away as Ragetti came back up from keeping Will's boat ready. Jack turned to Sora and Kairi. "Douse the lamps," he ordered. Sora called upon his fire magic and lowered his hands, as one, all the lamps on the ship went out. Kairi moved a bit closer to him in the darkness and driving rain. Using some of the conjuring magic Merlin taught them, she crafted a thick woolen blanket for them as they stood underneath a railing that protected them from some of the rain. Sora muttered a brief thanks as they took refuge from the storm. Kairi suddenly placed a finger to her ear.

"Max?" she asked. "Can you hear me?" Instead of static, as usual, the device was completely silent. Kairi looked at Sora frightfully. "Sora, I think the earpieces are broken." Sora looked at her before trying his own equipment, but it was dead silent as well.

"The rain must have gotten to it," he said uncomfortably, drawing the blanket further onto their shoulders and casting the earpiece aside.

"But Sora," Kairi said as she tossed hers overboard as well. "How are we going to get back to the _Highwind_? If the earpieces that Max made are broken…" Sora wrapped one of his arms that was under the blanket around her in a comforting embrace.

"Don't worry Kairi," he said firmly. "Donald, Goofy, and I didn't have earpieces on our last journeys either, and we still made it back up to the ship. We'll just have to use on of the glowing green access points the ship created when we were here last time, that's all."

"Great," Kairi said in relief. "Where are they?" Sora screwed up his face as he tried to remember.

"Well," he began after a brief pause, "there's one aboard the _Pearl_, another in Port Royal, and one in a ship graveyard." He then looked at Kairi's face with a small smile. "Not that many are there?" Kairi smirked and rested her head on the blanket.

"No," she said as she observed Jack looking at a new ship that had mysteriously appeared some time ago with his spyglass. "But at least we know we can get back to the ship." Suddenly a man with a tentacly face that had the claw of a lobster in place of his left hand and the leg of a crustacean for his right leg had appeared in directly in front of Jack. Other men who looked like a cross between fish and men had also appeared with drawn weapons. One with the head of a hammerhead shark, another with half the face of a puffer fish, one with a conch shell for a head, and several others who could not be compared to anything short of looking as if they had been born of the sea. Nearly all of them had drawn weapons and were within inches of killing the _Pearl_'s crew, although they had thankfully missed noticing Sora and Kairi when they had appeared. Jack looked at the man in front of him after glancing around at his crew.

"Oh."

"You have a debt to pay," Davy Jones said, advancing on Jack. "You've been captain of the _Black Pearl_ for thirteen years. That was our agreement!" Jack backed away slowly, trying not to quail at Jones as he looked him in the eyes.

"Technically, I was only captain for two years," Jack said slowly, "then I was viciously mutinied upon."

"Then you were a poor captain, but a captain nonetheless," Jones said, circling Jack. "Have you not introduced yourself, all these years as _Captain _Jack Sparrow?" Jones' crew laughed at Jack's defeat and Sora's eyes hardened as he observed the man, no the monster, that had caused his father's demise. Kairi looked into Sora's eyes with warning.

"I know you want to fight him," she whispered. "Frankly I want to kill him too, but now is not the time. We need to make sure our friends will be alright first before we get your revenge." Sora shook his head.

"I don't want to kill him," he whispered. "Well, I want him dead, but I know I can't kill him. I can only accept the fact that he killed my father and live life as best as I can." Kairi nodded in understanding as they both turned to watch Jack and Jones again.

"You have my payment," Jack said. "One soul to serve on your ship is already over there.

"One soul is not equal to another," Davy Jones argued.

"Aha!" Jack said. "So we've established that my proposal is sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price." Jones looked inquiringly at Jack.

"Price?" he asked.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Kairi whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Sora nudged his head a little closer.

"Nope," he replied. "I'm lost. Usually am now that I think of it."

"Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?" Jack asked, still talking to Davy Jones. The pirate captain looked around quickly before looking back at Jack.

"One hundred souls. Three dayssss-uh."

"You're a diamond mate," Jack said as he turned away. "Send me back the boy, I'll get started right away." The fish person with the hammerhead blocked Jack from leaving as Jones began talking again.

"I keep the boy," he said. "A good faith payment, that leaves you only ninety-nine more to go." Jones and his crew began laughing as Sora's blood boiled.

"Hey!" Sora yelled, leaving the shelter of the blanket, Kairi following along with him. Jones looked at the two with disdain. "Will is our friend," Sora growled. "And we won't have you take him from us!" Davy Jones snorted at them and signaled to some of his crew.

"Well if that's how you feel about it," he said. Sora's arms were suddenly wrung behind his back in agony by a crewman as Kairi's small yelp of pain next to him signified that she was captured as well. "I'll take these two as well," Jones announced to Sparrow, "only ninety-seven more to go." Jack curled his lip in discomfort as he looked at them.

"Have you not heard of Sora?" he asked, trying to haggle. "He's young, courageous, saved the worlds a few times from evil, a magnificent tenor." Sora looked up strangely at Jack.

"How'd you know I was a good tenor?" he asked. "You weren't in Atlantica." Jack looked at Sora with apprehension.

"You mean you really are a good tenor?" he asked before shrugging his shoulders. "Lucky guess then." Jack turned back to Davy Jones. "He's bound to be worth at least three souls. Sora's girlfriend Kairi, she's strong, magical, lovely alto, and a princess. She has to be at least four souls worth just to look at her. And have you not met William Turner? He's noble, heroic, terrific soprano. Has to be worth at least four, maybe three and a half. And did I happen to mention, he's in love." Jones froze suddenly as Jack began to circle him. "With a girl," he continued. "Due to be married. Betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him, would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony. Aye?" Jones stayed staring into space for a moment a quivering, almost human, look in his eyes, before snapping back to reality.

"I keep the boys and girl," he said, "ninety-seven souls-uh. But I wonder Sparrow," he turned around and looked Jack square in the eyes. "Can you live with yourself? Can you condemn innocents, friends-uh, to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?" Jack paused for a moment, contemplating the question.

_Please,_ Sora thought, _please say no._

"Yep," Jack answered cheerfully. "I'm good with it. Shall we seal it in blood, err… ink?" Davy Jones grasped Jack's hand as Sora's mind was reeling with the knowledge that Jack would give up his friends to save his own skin!

_I can't believe him!_ Roxas roared in his mind.

_Bloody ungrateful pirates!_ Sora thought. _I should have listened to Jack when he said to never trust a pirate!_ Davy Jones called off his crew and Sora and Kairi were led forcefully over to the edge of the deck before vanishing and reappearing on the sullen deck of the _Flying Dutchman_. William Turner was standing next to them along with four other men who looked half dead.

"Welcome to the crew lads and lass," Jones said. "Bo'sun!" A pirate with what looked like black coral adorning his face holding two whips; one was a regular leather whip and the other with iron prongs on the ends, stepped forward. "Give these new hands their deck orders," Jones commanded before stalking off into the driving rain.

"Alright scum!" the Bo'sun yelled. "Secure those lines! Hoist that cannon!" Sora and Kairi were about to follow Will into grabbing a rope to hoist the cannon when the Bo'sun stopped them. "Not you two," he growled with a maniacal tone as he protruded two brush scrubbers. "You're scrubbing the deck." Sora grimaced as he took his brush from his new boss and duly walked up to their assigned place and began trying to scrub the salt out of the wood. Kairi knelt next to him and started in their futile attempt for fifteen minutes as more crewmen came up from below deck at the Bo'sun's call.

"This sucks," Kairi moaned as she tried to get some more of the sea spray out of the aged wood. "Why are we doing this anyway?" she asked Sora as the Bo'sun called for Will to secure the mast tackle. Sora threw her a tired glance as he viciously scrubbed at the deck, with Will running past them.

"Because," he grumbled, "we're the youngest, most inexperienced members of the crew, so they stick all the meaningless and useless jobs on us." Kairi half smiled as she returned to her work before William suddenly came crashing into her, being dragged by the rope he was holding onto. "Kairi!" Sora called, half rising as she and Will hit the railing with a dull thud.

"Haul them weevils to their feet!" the Bo'sun ordered, pointing at them. Four crewmen came forwards and dragged William and Kairi onto their feet, placing their fronts to the mast and backs to the Bo'sun. The Bo'sun placed the whip with the iron prongs in another's hands as he stood in front of William. "Five lashes will remind you," he said as he and his colleague prepared to strike, "to stay on 'em."

"NO!" Sora and a crewman with waterlogged hair and clothes, and a starfish on his face cried, each of them grabbing one of the whips.

"Impeding me in my duties?" the Bo'sun asked, looking between them. "You'll share the punishment." Sora shared a quick glance in understanding with the other man before glaring at the Bo'sun.

"We'll take it all," he said.

"Would ye now?" a voice spoke. Sora looked up to see Davy Jones standing nearby. "And what would prompt," he asked, approaching the man, "such an act of charity?" The man looked uncomfortably at his captain for a second.

"My son," he said at last, turning to look at Will. "He's my son." Will's head turned to look strangely at the man as Jones shifted his attention to Sora just as Sora realized that the man must be Bootstrap Bill Turner.

"And you?" he asked, moving to stop directly in front of Sora's face.

"Because I love her," Sora said bitterly, snarling at the creature in front of him. Sora thought he saw Jones' face slid into a look that made him seem to be lost in thought, or memory, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, to be replaced by anger.

"What was that-uh?" he snarled at the boy in front of him.

"Because I love her," Sora repeated firmly, "_captain_!" Jones backed away from him and stood next to the Bo'sun.

"Well what fortuitous circumstances be this!" he said with a laugh as he took the whips from the Bo'sun and his assistant. "Five lashes be owed. I believe it is." He pushed the iron pronged whip in front of Sora's face as he handed the other one to Bootstrap.

"No," Bootstrap said, shaking his head. "No I won't!"

"I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request," Sora said shakily, looking at the glinting prongs on his whip with fear.

"The cat's out of the bag you two!" Jones said. "Your issue will feel its sting be it by the Bo'sun's hand, or your own."

"No," Sora gulped as he looked at the sharp iron with dread. Jones looked maniacally at him.

"Bo'sun!"

"NO!" Sora yelled as he quickly pulled out his keyblade. Before he could even point it at Jones or the Bo'sun he found about fifteen pirate blades inches away from running him through. Sora threw a look of loathing at Jones as he recalled his keyblade and slowly grabbed his whip before anyone crueler could get their hands on it. He gulped and turned around to see Kairi looking at him with tears in her eyes as the crew undid the straps on her breastplate tossing the white armour away like a rag to reveal Kairi's back, bare except for the purple strap of her bra. Sora's eyes met hers for a brief moment as crew began jeering at her, and the humiliation and hurt he saw in them hurt him, but he somehow also saw the kind understanding and truth in them. She would be doing the same thing if their positions had flipped.

"Seven," she whispered to him, before turning her head away and proudly raised it high in defiance. A tear leaked from Sora's eyes as he raised the whip.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, before bringing it down on her with a CRACK. Kairi howled in agony as the prongs cut deep into her soft flesh, coming out bloodstained and glinting with the thick liquid. Sora looked in horror at the blood on the whip and on her back, before closing his eyes and swinging it again. He was met by another howl and he opened his eyes to see Kairi staggering on her feet, only being kept up by the crewmen gripping her arms, causing their own red bands on her forearms. Blood was oozing out of the many deep gashes the two whippings had rent in her skin. Sora dropped to his knees as he heard her sobs of pain and began sobbing as well.

"I can't," he choked, bringing a hand to his face, to hide his shame and salty tears while Will was continually rent by his father. He would have said more, were it not for the bile that was rapidly ascending his throat. Sora retched, dispelling the sick as he cried.

"Insolent boy," Jones spat as Will was thrown down from the deck. "Bo'sun! Five lashes to him when you've finished his work." The Bo'sun stepped forward and stole the whip from Sora's side. Sora heard a loud crack and looked up from the pile of sick to see the Bo'sun whipping Kairi, specks of flesh actually flying as deeper wounds were gouged.

"NO!" Sora yelled; jumping up to let the next strike hit him in the back instead. The crewmen holding Kairi let her drop to her knees, where she immediately turned around to face Sora, the pain clearly showing in her eyes. The crew grabbed Sora and held him fast, ripping off his jacket and shirt underneath to leave his chest and back bare for the strokes of the whip.

"Sora," Kairi quietly said, gritting her teeth as sea spray entered her wounds. "I forgive you, and I'm sorry." She turned her head away, unable to bear watching. "Eight," she whispered to herself, trying desperatly not to throw up. Sora grimaced and roared in agony as the whip's stingers gouged deep into his back and Kairi looked back in horror.

"No sweat," he struggled out, meeting her eyes with his own blue orbs, filled with compassion. The pain of the next three swings came hard, wringing all of Sora's will not to break to the breaking point as the whip cleaved flesh from him, scattering it over the deck. Before he could break, the Bo'sun lowered the whip and shoved him down onto the deck. The crew laughed at the two of them before stalking away. Kairi crawled forward and placed Sora's head in her lap, caressing his forehead.

"I'm sorry," Sora feebly mumbled as salty tears streamed down their faces. He coughed, and a little blood came out. She held him tightly, both of them panting heavily and wincing in pain as William and Bootstrap Bill came up.

"Sora!" Will said frantically. Sora winced again at the loud noise and placed his hand to his ear, trying to block the sound. Will looked up at his father. "We need to get them below deck," he said.

"I'll take the boy." Will looked up to see a crewman approaching them. Lanky brown hair covered his head; barnacles grew on his right cheek up to the side of his eye. His flesh was white, as was the flesh of all crewmembers that still resembled humans, which contrasted greatly to his green eyes.

"Why would you do that Mac?" Bootstrap asked as Mac lifted Sora off of Kairi and carried him in his arms.

"He looks an awful lot," Mac said slowly in a deep voice as they quickly got below deck, Kairi on William's shoulders, "like my son did twelve years ago." They entered a room brightly lit by candles with one bunk. Will looked around with an inquiring look and was answered by his father.

"This is the sick bay," he said. "Normally we all sleep on hammocks just below deck, but we should probably leave them here so nobody can hurt them further. The Bo'sun normally never uses the whip he used on them." William placed Kairi down on the ground in a sitting position and she held a hand to her heart, wincing in pain with every breath. Mac placed Sora in a similar position next to her only for Sora to immediately hug her; his fingers lightly touching her bleeding skin as she hugged him back.

"Curaga," they said weakly. Green tendrils came from their fingers, entering the deep wounds that had been rent on the other's back and curling around to heal the scrapes on their arms and fronts. The wounds on their backs stopped bleeding, and all the water and impurities were removed, but the wounds did not close. Instead, a green glow emanated from them for a moment before ceasing. They both felt the pain from the injury cease, but they each could finger the wounds on the other's back.

"I don't understand," Sora feebly. "Why are they still there?" Will shrugged.

"Maybe they need time to heal," he said, grabbing some bandages. Sora and Kairi nodded tiredly as William and Mac wrapped the white bandages around the teens' bodies.

"You do look a lot like my son did," Mac said, looking at Sora in wonder with a twinkle in his green eyes as Will and Bootstrap Bill bid them goodnight. "He should be fifteen now. I wonder what he looks like?" Sora looked up from Kairi at the man in front of him.

"When did you last see him?" he asked. Mac looked away from them and his eyes became filled with memory.

"Twelve years ago," he said. "I was a fisherman on a chain of islands. Some said I was the best, but there were probably better. I left my wife Anne that day to go to my ship with a friend before he could board his own boat, but my boy of three and his friend followed us all the way to the docks. My son had spiky chocolate hair and always wore a white shirt and red shorts. Always talked of adventure too after he learned to talk and I had told him tales of the sea. His bright blue eyes always sparkled in excitement when I told him stories." Mac sighed sadly as he looked down at the two teens before walking to the open door. "I used to have a beard then too," he muttered.

"What was his name?" Kairi asked quickly before he could leave. Mac stopped and turned to them.

"Sora," he said. Kairi looked between Sora and Mac in sudden realization. Mac was about to step out again when Sora spoke.

"Dad?" he asked quietly. "What happened to you?" Mac slowly turned around again and slowly began walking to them.

"What did you call me?" he asked in wonder. One last tear crept out of Sora's eye.

"Dad," he choked. "It's me, Sora." Kairi smiled at them as Mac knelt down and embraced his son.

"My son," Mac muttered. "I have my son again." They pulled out and Mac began looking him over. "You have my hair," he said as he fondly tried to push his hand through the spikes, "and your mother's eyes." Sora smiled at him as Mac then looked at Kairi and raised his eyebrows. "A friend of yours my boy?" he asked with a chuckle. Sora looked fondly at Kairi as she sat next to him and kissed her.

"Dad," he said, breaking from Kairi as his eyes twinkled like his father's, "this is my girlfriend, Kairi." Mac looked between them.

"Kairi," he said, rolling his tongue on the 'r'. "Such a beautiful name, for a beautiful girl." He then quickly embraced her as well as Sora let out a yawn. "Much though I'd like to talk," Mac said, a father's growl suddenly coming out in his voice. "You two are up way past your bedtime. Hit the hay, the both of you." Sora sighed and gingerly stood up, before collapsing on the ground already asleep. Kairi giggled weakly at him as her head nodded. She rose and got herself into the bunk, wrapping the blanket over herself. Within five seconds she was asleep. Mac chuckled and looked between the two of them. A transparent white figure faded into existence in front of Sora and Mac looked at him, surprised. The figure was a boy with spiky blonde hair of the same stature of his son, and the same eyes.

"I'm Roxas," the boy said. "We can become formerly introduced tomorrow, but right now," the boy looked between Sora and Kairi with a sly grin. "How about we play a practical joke?" Mac caught his drift with no trouble and soon Sora was wrapped in the bunk with Kairi under the blanket, sweet smiled that hadn't been present before now playing across their faces. Roxas smirked at the two and suppressed a laugh before waving at Mac in farewell. "See you tomorrow," he said before becoming a blue light that engulfed Sora. Mac shook his head slightly to clear the light from his eyes before blowing out the candles and closing the door behind him as he exited the room.

He loved having a son again.

* * *

_There we go the second chapter to Pirates 2, and what a doosie. Next one we finish it off with killer Kraken battles. Please leave a review._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	18. Kraken!

_I'm glad many of you enjoyed the last chapter, but I cannot help but notice, many of you are not reviewing. My attention brought to one person in particular (you know who you are, person who goes by the codename "Roxas"). So snippy as I may appear, get reviewing._

_Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and plot._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XVIII: Kraken!

Kairi slowly awoke that morning with her eyes closed as she gradually became aware of certainties around her. For one, her right hand was gripping something metal, and there seemed to be a heavy mass encroaching on her right side, almost overtop of her in some places and something warm was overtop of her back. Her semi-conscious mind dismissed these however, saying that the metal was probably from the bottom of the bunk, and that the heavy mass would just be folds in the thick blanket overtop of her. Kairi snuggled a little further into the mattress, drawing the blanket further up her bare shoulders with her left hand and tried to go back to sleep as she enjoyed the warmth spreading throughout her body. She unconsciously felt slightly damp, warm air stir near her right hand and tugged it back towards her, knowing all the while that being on a ship caused the air to be damp anyway. Her hand met some resistance however as she tried to tug it back towards her, her fingers suddenly getting poked by three points on the metal that traveled with her hand as if dragging something heavy along with them. Kairi's conscious mind came into being as she began pondering what the object that lay in her hand was, still with her eyes closed though as a curious smile came to her lips. Her fingers began exploring it to discover that there were three points in what she assumed was the top, that it angled down to a flat base making the shape of a crown, and that there was a small metal chain at either end that would loop around something.

_That's funny,_ Kairi thought, _it's almost like Sora's pendant._ Her smile faded and her eyes snapped open as she considered what she had just thought. _But how would Sora's pendant get into…? _Her hand left the pendant and pushed flat against something that felt like muscle. Kairi lifted her head and looked over her right shoulder to see spiky chocolate locks on a boy who was peacefully sleeping next to her, one arm lying limp across her back as a smile adorned his face. Kairi's face melted for a moment as she looked at how peacefully he slept before suddenly realizing what had happened last night. Kairi touched a finger to the bandages across her back and then remembered that the crew had taken her breastplate Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had made, off and that it was now lying abandoned on deck, completely forgotten by all of them as they had been scrambled to get down to the sick bay. Kairi flushed red as she looked down to see that she was only wearing her purple bra above the white bandages, and her pink skirt. She quickly scooped the whole blanket up to cover herself, Sora cringing a little as the warmth was suddenly removed, and screwed up her face.

"SORA!!" she yelled. "GET OUT!" Sora awoke with a start and promptly fell off the bunk. He scratched his head and felt the bump on the back of his head forming.

"Geese Kai," he moaned, still looking down at the ground. "I'm halfway across the room, can't you even give me one day without waking me up by screeching in my ear." Kairi viciously shook her head.

"You weren't halfway across the room," she growled, drawing the blankets up a little more. "You were up on the bunk."

"What?" Sora asked. "That's crazy talk, I wasn't up on the b-" Sora's head looked upwards from the wooden floor to see Kairi, raised on her knees with the gray blanket drawn up to just below her shoulders, and the posts of the bunk right in front of his eyes. Sora gulped and quickly retreated to the side of the room as Kairi glared into him, careful not to spare a glance at his bandaged chest.

"I don't know how I got up there," Sora said, placing his hands and back firmly against the wall. Kairi continued to give him a death glare as Sora quailed.

"I know exactly how you got up here," she snarled accusingly. "_You _pretended to be asleep while I got into bed, then after I had fallen asleep, _you _climbed up and got in!" Sora began sweating bullets as Kairi drew the Oathkeeper, a ball of light forming on its tip.

"Kairi, you've got it wrong," Sora squeaked. Kairi merely smirked wickedly at him.

"Oh have I?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Before she could let loose her light upon her hapless boyfriend, Roxas and Naminé suddenly burst in laughing their heads off, pointing at their somebodies.

"You should've seen your faces," Roxas managed weakly as Sora and Kairi looked at them in wonder. "I never knew a prank could be this good. Not even when I yelled 'heartless' at you guys in school." Sora and Kairi's eyes hardened as they suddenly began glaring at their nobodies. _They did this!_

"Roxas!" Sora yelled. "I don't care if you are me, I'm going to kill you!" Roxas merely smirked at him.

"Since I am you," Roxas said. "Then try to deny that that _wasn't _the best night's sleep you've ever had." Sora suddenly stopped in his rage and began gaping around, his mouth soundlessly opening and closing. Roxas turned from Sora to Kairi, whose eyes were still fixated on him. "And you don't try to deny it either," he said, pointing at her. Kairi dismissed her keyblade and instead placed her free hand on her hip.

"I can deny it," she said. "Because you don't know my thoughts." Roxas smirked.

"You've already forgotten that while I'm out here I do," he said, his grin widening. "And even if I didn't Naminé would back up my claim." Kairi's nobody nodded and smiled apologetically at Kairi, who stood stupefied. She couldn't believe she had forgotten that!

"It was your best sleep ever Kairi," Naminé said brightly before turning to Roxas. "Great idea I had huh?" Roxas smiled at her and briefly kissed her waiting lips.

"Yep," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kairi's eyes were wreathed in flame as she looked between the two of them as Sora finally recovered from his fit.

"So you're the mastermind behind it all," he growled, the Oblivion appearing in his hand, pointing at Naminé. He quickly ran forward and slashed at Naminé, his attack getting parried by Kairi who had quietly wrapped the blanket around her and called the Oathkeeper out again.

"Attacking the only girl who didn't kick your ass while sparring yesterday Sora?" she asked with a grin. Sora released his hold on his keyblade and let it vanish.

"Jack and the others showed up before we could finish," he said, waving it off. "Doesn't count."

"I think it counts," Roxas said, stepping forward. "I had already beaten Nam, so 1-1 record for the battle is fair."

"Plus," Naminé added, "Kairi had you trapped in a dome prison of lightning." She raised a transparent eyebrow at Sora. "I would say that counts as being defeated." Before Sora could argue back a knock sounded on the door. Roxas and Naminé quickly vanished into blue and golden lights that entered Sora and Kairi.

"Come in," Kairi said before swiftly sticking her tongue out at Sora. Her tongue had retreated back inside the confines of her mouth just as the door opened.

"Wakey-wakey," Mac said as he entered with a smile, Will and Bootstrap entering behind him.

"So," Will asked brightly, "how did you two sleep last night?" Kairi looked frantically between the three chuckling adults, her face glowing red.

"WELL!" she said angrily. "We slept well!" Mac laughed aloud.

"I knew you would after I placed Sora under the blankets with you," he said, grinning.

"So you did that!" Sora exclaimed before looking around exasperatedly. "Was everyone in on this?" he grumbled. William sniggered heartily.

"Just about everyone in the room except you two," he said. Kairi wrinkled her nose at them before striding up to Sora, turning to face the other three in the room.

"Well it wasn't very funny," she said before adding in an undertone, "even if it was highly enjoyable." Kairi cracked open her lip. "I'm sorry for almost attacking you," she whispered, looking down solemnly. Sora turned his head towards her, smiling at last.

"Apology accepted," he said, quickly giving her a hug. "By the way," he whispered while his mouth was near her ear. "I kind of enjoyed it too." They broke apart and Kairi turned away, striding towards the door.

"If you'll excuse me," she said. "I need to go above deck to retrieve my armour." Sora quickly fell in step behind her.

"And I need to get my shirt and jacket," he added, reaching for the doorknob.

"Go ahead," Mac said. "If you can breathe underwater." The teens stopped and swiveled their heads around.

"What did you just say?" Kairi asked.

"We're submerged," Bootstrap answered. "Nothing can come below or above deck until we surface again." He turned his head towards the floor. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I'm afraid your clothes are lost to the seven seas now." Kairi exchanged a quick glance with Sora before looking down at herself. Bringing her head back up she began to concentrate, moving her arms around in a circular motion. Black thread began to weave itself into existence in the air in the center of the circle she was forming, Sora doing the same beside her. William, Bootstrap, and Mac's eyes filled with wonder as a strapless black shell halter-top, much like her previous white one, took form in Kairi's hands and a black t-shirt and auburn leather vest with flame decals around the edges, and a decal of the Oathkeeper and Oblivion crossed in the middle of a flame in the center of the back formed in Sora's arms. Kairi stopped and looked at her handiwork with pride before turning aside so her back was turned to them all.

"Excuse me," she said, turning her head around to glare at them. The guys all took heed and promptly turned around, whistling unknown tunes as Kairi let the blanket fall. She quickly put the halter-top on and silently added her chosen fragrance before turning around to see Sora's back, now covered by his jacket. "You can all turn around now," she announced. Sora and the others turned around, William still whistling, their faces looking her over critically. Kairi nervously put a finger through her hair and shifted uncomfortably. She glanced up at Sora, biting her lip. Their blue eyes met and Sora cracked a smile, causing Kairi to smile herself as all apprehension vanished from her face.

"You look good Kai," he said, his eyes twinkling with love. "Black looks good on you." Kairi blushed slightly and looked away.

"I didn't think a princess of heart could wear black," she said as Sora stepped forward and took her hand.

"Well," he said, lifting her chin to have her eyes meet his. "You just proved them all wrong." Kairi smiled before looking him over as well.

"Well," she started. "You sure look more like a dashing hero now than you did before." Sora smiled and stepped back a little, looking critically at her skirt.

"But," he began, "if you're going to wear black, that skirt is so the wrong colour." Kairi looked down at the pink before glancing at her black top again. They clashed, horribly. It was the wrong colour, a very light pink with a black top, who'd ever heard of that? She placed a hand on the skirt and whispered words of magic Merlin had secretly taught her. From her touch the skirt changed from being a light pink to a deep navy blue, and it shortened to just above her kneecap. Kairi smirked with pride at the new look before looking up at Sora, who was nodding appraisingly with a hand to his chin. "Good choice," he said as she did a quick pirouette. Kairi smirked at him and looked at his cargo shorts.

"Well," she said, poking his jacket. "If you're going to wear _that_ jacket, you're going to need more suitable pants." Sora took off his jacket for a moment and studied it carefully before critically looking at his shorts.

"You're right," he said. "But that'll have to be fixed later, I need a completely new style." Will suddenly cleared his throat and they both looked at him.

"I'm going to go see about this key," he said, pulling out the cloth. "You two coming? Or are you going to continue debating on what to wear?" Mac raised a hand.

"They probably would be," he said, "were it not for the fact that I haven't seen Sora in twelve years." Will looked at him strangely.

"I hadn't seen my father in a long time either," he argued. Mac rounded on him.

"Maybe so William Turner," he said. "But your father at least left you to go pirating after you had known him for years. I was taken from Sora when he was only three." He tore his gaze away from Will and looked at the floor. "I wasn't around to see him grow up," he muttered weakly, "now I don't know if I know him anymore." Will looked as if he were about to argue further when his father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll help you with the key son," he said kindly. "Let Sora become reacquainted with Mac, and let him get to know Kairi as well." Bootstrap then shrugged. "We're underwater all day, stuck on the _Dutchman_, it can't hurt." Will considered his father's argument for a moment before smiling.

"You're right," he said before turning to Sora and Kairi. "I'll still want you two after you're finished though." Kairi smiled at Will.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," she said. "Max is still a captive too." Will nodded, showing that he remembered, before walking out of the room with his father. Silence filled the room for a moment before Sora approached his father.

"How did you get on the _Flying Dutchman _dad?" he asked weakly, in a pained voice. "How did Jones take you from us?" Mac looked around worriedly before motioning for them to come closer.

"These tales are best left for brighter places," he said. Mac jerked his head towards the door. "Come on, let's get to the galley and get the two of you some food. Then we'll talk." Kairi nodded glumly as she stepped towards the door, booted feet making dull thuds on the floor. Mac opened it and led them through the _Dutchman_'s lower decks towards the galley, where they sat at circular wooden tables. Kairi immediately began tucking in to the plate of 'food' that was placed in front of her, suddenly aware of how ravenously hungry she was. The crewmen around her who were still kind-hearted and hadn't yet begun to change into fish people began smiling sadly at her and shaking their heads as they watched Sora and Kairi eat before taking off to do their assigned duties.

Kairi finished her plate and pushed it away, sighing in contentment and placing a hand over her full stomach.

"I have no idea what that was," she said. "And I have no idea what it tasted like, but I'm just glad that I'm full." Mac smiled kindly at her as Sora swallowed the last of his.

"You don't want to know what it tastes like," he said with a chuckle. "Otherwise, you might never get it down." Kairi looked down at her plate with apprehension before glancing at her stomach.

"Well," Sora stated, "I got it down pretty easily." Mac laughed and rubbed his son's head.

"You haven't lost your habit for eating," he said joyously, "that's for sure." Sora then gave his dad an inquiring look, as if to reiterate his previous question. Mac sat back in his chair and let loose a long sigh.

"How I wound up on the _Dutchman _eh?" he asked aloud before closing his eyes. He was then silent for a time, so silent that Kairi started to believe he had fallen asleep. "When Davy Jones attacked us," he began suddenly, "he attacked us with the _Dutchman_ as well as his terrible leviathan, the Kraken. When the _Highwind_ came under attack and was about to fall I leapt overboard before one of the Kraken's tentacles could crush me. The _Dutchman_'s crew then picked me up, as well as all the other survivors from the wrecked ships. Davy Jones then asked us all if we feared death. Many of us, including myself, said we did. We were all humble fishermen, never having been in mortal peril before we were all terrified of dieing. He then offered us an escape from death, a hundred years serving as crewmen to repay our debt with him for saving us from death. I said yes."

"But why?" Sora choked out. "Why did you say yes to him?" Mac laughed bitterly at him.

"I didn't want to leave you and Anne yet," he explained. "Somehow I thought that if I said yes and worked incredibly hard, Jones would see promise in me and let me leave for home." He hung his head sadly. "It was only after that that I learned that once you swear an oath to the _Dutchman_ there's no leaving it. You slowly waste away, losing who you were, bit by bit, until you become part of the ship like poor Wyvern, or more fish than man like Maccus, the hammerhead, or Jones himself. There's no going home, not until your debt with Jones for saving you from death is paid." Mac looked up glumly at Sora and Kairi. "And now both of you are going to be stuck here for a hundred years like me." Sora and Kairi shook their heads.

"We've sworn no oath," Kairi said. Mac's face became intensely relieved.

"You must get away then," he said. "As soon as you can." They nodded at him in understanding. Mac smiled and relaxed back in his chair. "Well then my son," he began again. "Since you can't get away now, how's life been treating you? And how did you end up on here anyway?" Sora smiled warmly at his father.

"I think I'll answer your first question first," he said.

* * *

A man with frazzled hair was swabbing the deck of a merchant ship with a white mop that was rapidly turning gray. A foreign object not used to being on a merchant vessel lying in a pile of rope suddenly caught his eye. He dropped his mop and picked it up to reveal that it was a yellow-white wedding dress. Another crewman looked up to see him holding the dress and immediately strode forwards, yelling at him and grabbing at the dress. Other members of the crew soon joined in the jostling for the dress until the captain in his maroon overcoat with brass buttons suddenly emerged from his office and stopped the commotion.

"If you both fancy the dress," he said to the two crewmen, one bald, who currently held onto the dress, "you'll just have to share, and wear it one after the other." The crew around them began sniggering and laughing as the two men looked uncomfortably at each other.

"It's not like that sir," the bald one said. "This ship is haunted."

"Is it now?" the captain said before turning to the other man. "And you?"

"The female presence amongst us," he said. "All the men, they can feel it."

"The ghost of a lady," the man who found the dress said, "widowed before her marriage, I figure it. Searching for her husband, lost at sea."

"A virgin too," an old man piped up. "And that bodes ill by all accounts."

"I say," one man said. "We throw it overboard, and hope the spirit follows it!" Whilst the crew was arguing, two figures who were varnishing the banister were carefully looking on, one trying his best not to laugh.

"I can't believe they fell for it," one with long, dog-like ears said. The woman next to him, dressed up as a man smirked slightly.

"They're all simpletons," Elizabeth whispered. The captain suddenly roared out in anger at his crew's antics.

"Enough! Enough" Capt. Bellamy ordered. "You're a pair of superstitious goats and it's got the best of you. Now this appears to be nothing more as we have a stowaway aboard," Max and Elizabeth looked worriedly at each other for a moment before hastily continuing their work. "A young woman by the look of it. I want you to search the ship and find 'er." The captain turned away for a moment and added, as if in afterthought, "Oh and uh, she's probably naked." The crew paused for a moment before enthusiastically breaking off in the search. Elizabeth and Max quickly tossed their brushes into the pail as they began wondering around together, searching intently for the 'naked' woman.

"Naked woman?" Max asked with a sly grin, gaining eye contact with Elizabeth. "I don't see a naked woman. I see a woman cross dressing, but I don't see a naked woman." Elizabeth grimaced at him and playfully shoved him as Max laughed.

"Oh hush up," she. Max looked down onto the deck as something caught his eye. Stooping down, he picked up a silver charm with a howling white wolf's head in the centre. Shrugging, Max pocketed it as they continued the search, sailing towards the next port all the while.

* * *

Crewmen of the _Flying Dutchman_ had slowly begun to trickle into the galley during their 'day off' while Sora and Kairi were telling his father all about how life had continued after the attack on the fishing fleet. Kairi coming in after Sora recalled three years of life and the meteor shower. For hours longer Sora and Kairi told him of the next eight years on the Islands, how their friendship had developed, and how school and business had proceeded as usual. Until they reached the summer when they were both fourteen, and their building of the raft. Finally as Mac was almost nodding off, despite the excitement of his son building a raft with his friends, Sora spoke of the storm when Heartless first appeared on the Islands, and the keyblade's appearance. As emphasis, he summoned the Oblivion to his hand and Mac's eyes widened as he gazed at the black blade his son now held.

"And you're its chosen wielder?" Mac asked, touching the keyblade to make absolutely sure it was real. Sora nodded his head.

"As such," Kairi said, beaming at Sora with pride. "It's Sora's responsibility to save the worlds from darkness, which he has already done twice, and which we are doing right now." Sora turned to Kairi as he dismissed the keyblade.

"Which reminds me," he said. "We still need to find Port Royal's keyhole." Mac looked between the two of them in confusion.

"Keyhole?" he asked. "What do you mean by keyhole?"

"The keyhole is a special gateway to the heart of a world," Kairi explained. "It has to be sealed in order to prevent heartless from overwhelming the heart with darkness and destroying the world, like what happened to the Islands and hundreds of other worlds a year ago." Sora's father held his head in his hands sadly.

"Don't worry dad," Sora comforted. "The Islands are probably okay. Riku's there, and we sealed the keyhole. Plus, we had also restored all the worlds after Donald, Goofy and I beat Xehanort's heartless a year ago and sealed Kingdom Hearts." Mac looked up at his son grimly.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he said. "But what I can glean right now is that you've been in far more dangerous situations than I could have ever imagined." Sora looked down glumly, tugging at his jacket in an ashamed way. Mac suddenly hugged his son, drawing a shocked face from Sora as he laughed. "But you've faced them all down and beaten them. Words can't express how proud of you I am. And I'm glad you're okay." Sora chuckled slightly as he pulled away from his father.

"Not quite okay dad," he said, lifting up his new black cotton t-shirt to reveal the white bandages. Max simply shook his head.

"The Bo'sun went too far that time," he said. Kairi grinned and looked at Sora.

"Actually," she said. "I think Roxas and Naminé were the ones who went too far last night, don't you agree Sora?" Sora nodded vigorously.

"Heartily," said he.

"But who are Roxas and Naminé?" Mac asked, looking between the two. "I met Roxas last night, but he didn't say much apart from the practical joke." They said nothing in answer to his question and acted instead as if they hadn't heard the second statement, two spectral beings, the boy from before, and a girl who looked like Kairi, except with blonde hair and a long white dress appeared instead.

"We are," they said, bowing.

"We're Nobodies," Roxas explained. "Beings without hearts created whenever a heartless is formed. People who have strong hearts turn into nobodies who still retain some memory of their previous self and how to feel. Since nobodies don't have hearts, they only pretend to have feelings."

"But Roxas and I are different," Naminé said. "We're Sora and Kairi's nobodies, created when Sora attacked himself with Riku's keyblade of captive hearts, releasing his own heart to darkness to free Kairi's. Sora regained his body shortly after, so Roxas never had any memories of being Sora, and Kairi never lost her body in the first place, so I never had any memories of being Kairi either. But thanks to merging with them," Naminé paused for a moment and looked fondly at the two. "Roxas and I now have hearts as well which means we can feel, and love. Not actual physical hearts mind you, we're more of sharing hearts with Sora and Kairi, just as we are sharing bodies." Before Mac could say anything to identify he understood the sounds of crewmen yelling reached heir ears as William and Bootstrap walked up to them. They were observing a game that was being played with cups and dice. Roxas and Naminé disappeared in a flash to avoid being seen.

"What is that?" Kairi asked.

"It's called Liar's Dice," Mac explained. "It's a game of deception, where the betting not only includes your own dice, but your opponents' as well."

"What are they betting?" Will asked.

"Well the only thing we have left," Bootstrap Bill said. "Years of service."

"And any crewmember can be challenged?" Sora asked. Mac and Bootstrap nodded their heads.

"Aye, anyone." Will sighed for a moment in contemplation.

"I challenge Davy Jones," he said. Suddenly they heard thumping from above deck and Davy Jones appeared in the stairs leading down from above deck, they had apparently resurfaced, where it was raining yet again.

"I accept."

A table was brought to Will, as well as four dice and a cup. Davy Jones strode confidently up to him.

"The stakes?" he asked.

"My soul," Will replied. "An eternity of service." Sora shook his head.

"No," Will's father mouthed.

"Against?" Davy Jones inquired. Will pulled out a worn cloth.

"I want this," he said, plopping the cloth onto the table. Davy Jones looked at it with interest, unfolding it with his lobster claw and picking it up to see a drawing of the key.

"How do you know of the key?" he asked. Will cocked his head arrogantly.

"That's not part of the game is it?" he asked, sitting down. "You can still walk away." Davy Jones seemed to consider it for a minute, the possibility of losing the key weighed heavily on him, before he sat down. Looking towards one of his tentacles, a tentacle withdrew a rusted iron key from underneath a fold of his fleshy fish-face. Sora looked at it with interest as the tentacle placed it back. Will and Jones each put their dice into their cups and shook them, finally placing them down on the table with a bang. But four other cups fell down as well.

"What is this?" Davy Jones asked, irritated. Bootstrap, Sora, Kairi and Mac all sat down, their hands on their cups.

"We're in," Sora said. "I match Will's wager."

"So do I," Kairi said, nodding her head.

"Agreed," Mac added.

"No," Will warned. "Don't do this. You need your souls to save the worlds Sora."

"We won't let you go this alone Will," Sora said. Will began shaking his head but his father silenced him.

"It's too late Will," Bootstrap Bill said. "The die is cast." He then turned his head to Jones. "I bet five twos, it's your bet captain." Davy Jones smirked at the table.

"Six threes," he said, turning his head towards Sora, who was next.

"Six fours," he said uneasily, glancing at Kairi.

"Seven fours," she said unsteadily.

"Seven fives," Mac said.

"Seven sixes," countered Will.

"Eight twos," Bootstrap Bill said.

Davy Jones glanced under his mug, signaling that the others may look under their mugs as well. Under Jones' mug were two sixes, one one, and a two. Sora stole a glance under his own to see a six and three fours. Underneath Kairi's was a four, six, and two fives. Mac held two sixes, a five and a three while Will had a whopping four sixes. Bootstrap looked last and saw underneath his own a two, two sixes, and a five. In total out of the twenty-four dice, there was one one, two twos, one three, four fours, four fives, and twelve sixes.

Davy Jones looked up, satisfied. "Nine sixes," he drawled, spreading the smell of decaying oceanic debris across the table.

"Ten sixes," Sora said, holding back a retch from the smell.

"Eleven sixes," Kairi raised, a revolted look on her face as she gawped at Jones.

"Twelve sixes," Mac said, unperturbed by the smell. Will gulped as he pondered his next bet.

"Thirteen sixes," he said confidently. Jones began laughing quietly.

"Welcome to the crew liar," he said.

"Twenty-four sixes." Everyone looked at Bootstrap in disbelieve as he said these words. "Twenty-four sixes," he repeated, looking deliberately at Davy Jones as he said it. "Call me a liar," he challenged, "or up the bet."

"And be called a liar myself for my trouble!" Jones retorted, grabbing Bill's mug and revealing his dice. "Bootstrap Bill," Jones growled, "you are a liar and will spend an eternity on this ship. Masters Turner, Sora, and Kairi," Jones turned to look at the three with disdain. "Feel free to go ashore," he turned around, and then quickly turned back, "the very next time we make port!" He left for his cabin, laughing as the rest of the crew filed out past the gamblers.

"You fool," Will said, addressing his father. "Why did you do that?"

"I couldn't let you lose," Bootstrap mumbled.

"It was never about winning or losing," Will explained. Bootstrap's eyes seemed to brighten in understanding as Sora and Kairi caught on.

"The key," Kairi said.

"You just wanted to know where it was," Sora said. Will turned to them both.

"Yes," he said, glancing around. "But we must wait until nightfall to take it. I have a plan."

* * *

That night the rain had stopped all across the Caribbean, and Captain Bellamy was in his cabin complaining about tariffs, fees, and who knows what else while two figures stood outside in the dark of night. One was a woman dressed as a man above on one of the masts, holding two brooms to which a dress dangled below on strings. Another was below her on deck, making sure the coast was clear.

"Okay," Max said, looking up at Elizabeth. "Do it now!" Elizabeth manipulated the controls on her dress and caused it to fly past the cabin's window. They waited in silent apprehension for a few seconds before the dress made its second pass of the window. The captain and two crewmen burst out of the cabin and stalked onto the deck, staring in awe at the floating dress. Elizabeth raised one of the brooms, causing am arm to rise on her dress, as if pointing at something.

"I think she wants you to do something," Max said, joining the captain from behind, sneaking around the cabin so he wouldn't have been seen before.

"She's trying to give a sign," Bellamy whispered. The dress suddenly flew past them before turning around and returning the other way, knocking over a lantern in the process and heading out to sea for a moment. "Over there!" Bellamy ordered, pointing in the direction the dress had just flown. "Look for a sign!" The captain and crew ran to the railing to look overboard as words of flame began to form on deck where the lantern had fallen. Max looked up at a scowling Elizabeth and raised his hand, index finger and thumb together to make a circle.

"Look there!" One man yelled. "Over there, there it is, the sign!"

"That's seaweed," another replied.

"Seaweed could be a sign," the first man defended himself.

"Looks like entrails…"

"Entrails are always a bad sign!" Max retorted, looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened in fear as he looked at the flaming message. "Captain!" he cried, pointing. The men all turned around to see the word 'Tortuga' written in fire on their deck.

* * *

Max and Elizabeth entered the tavern on Tortuga later that night to see a brawl taking place. One man wearing muddy remains of what had once been a pristine uniform was fighting in the centre of the tavern with a sword against many others who had also drawn weapons while a group of musicians played a merry tune. Elizabeth unsheathed her sword and dashed in right away, swinging left and right to deflect the blows others were making at the man. Max observed the whole scene in awe for a moment before rushing in as well, drawing his sword with a cry of "I love this world!" He blocked a slash made for his head and quickly countered with a punch to the man's face, knocking him down. Turning around, Max swung his blade downwards to catch another's sword, sending it straight to the ground before Max kicked the man in the gut. The man held out his hands, a bottle of rum in one. Max took the bottle with gratitude as the man sank to the ground. Bringing it to his lips, Max took a swig of the liquid and smacked his lips.

"Nothin' I've ever had," he said, holding the bottle high above his shoulder, "beats this." He brought the bottle down forcefully as if to put it by his side when it made contact with a man's head and shattered. Looking at the broken pieces with horror Max knelt down on the ground. "NO!" he cried, gazing down at the rum on the floor. "Why is the rum gone?" The fighting around him suddenly ceased as Elizabeth and the man stood on opposite sides of a beam with countless swords pointed at them.

"Come on then," the man said. "Who's first? Form an orderly line and I'll have you all one by one." Elizabeth grimaced at the man and grabbed a bottle out from his hands, shattering it on his head as he fell down unconscious. Everyone merely looked at her in silence.

"I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself," she said. Everyone hailed their approval of her deed by raising their mugs and bottles in a toast before taking the man outside and throwing him into a pigsty. Max and Elizabeth followed them, Max still grieving the loss of his rum.

"James Norrington," Elizabeth said, turning him over to look at his eyes. "What has the world done to you?" Elizabeth looked around to see Jack Sparrow and Gibbs walking away towards the _Black Pearl_. "After them," she said quietly to Max, stalking after them.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and William Turner were creeping up on Davy Jones' personal cabin on the _Dutchman_'s deck. All was quiet, except for the sound of the waves. Bootstrap Bill had relieved the helmsman and Mac was patrolling the deck, in order for their way to the captain to be clear. Sora drew shallow breaths, praying dearly that those asleep on deck wouldn't wake. The moonlight glistened on the damp wood, illuminating much of the ship, as well as shining down on the keyblade wielders' faces with its pale reflection. Sora looked down at his clothes with apprehension, grateful, as he was that he and Kairi were wearing dark colours to hide themselves in the midst of the waning moon's glow.

Will motioned for them to continue with a flick of his wrist and they moved forwards towards the old, rotting door. Will tried turning the knob to find that it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked," he breathed. Kairi began to step forward but Sora held her back.

"Not the Oathkeeper Kairi," he hissed. "Its blade is white, and it will glisten too much in the moon." Kairi nodded her head and backed off as Sora brought out the black steel of the Oblivion keyblade. He raised it enough for the tip to be pointing at the door's rusted black keyhole. With a very small, but sharply audible click the door unlocked and slowly inched open. Will looked at the blade in admiration before it vanished. Nodding to the two of them they stepped inside, leaving the door closed behind them.

Inside Davy Jones' room was a great pipe organ in front of which Jones slept on a stool, his rhythmic breathing giving the impression of a deep sleep. Sora and Will moved forward quietly as mice, circling around Jones to take up positions against his tentacles as Kairi stood guard near the door. Sora picked up a feathered quill and began moving tentacles aside and away from the flap of skin that concealed the key. Will prodded further with a small black stick when a tentacle suddenly slipped off of it and landed on the organ's three decks of keys, sending a blast of sound upward that caused Jones to stir. Sora backed away slightly so he wouldn't be seen when a soft lullaby played from a locket that had opened when the fallen tentacle nudged it. Jones' breathing fell back to a smooth pace as he fell asleep again and Sora breathed a sigh of relief. Will grabbed the key as a tentacle wrapped around it and swiftly nudged the tentacle with the cloth drawing of the key. The small tentacle let go of the key and grasped the cloth instead, pulling it back under the flap of skin. Sora and Will carefully let the tentacles fall and backed away slowly, turning all the while to the door where Kairi was waiting with an anxious face.

"Do you have it?" she asked quietly, opening the door. Sora nodded his head before glancing at Will as they walked out, drawing the Oblivion as well.

"What's the key for?" he asked as he relocked the door behind them. Will looked at them for a moment.

"The chest of Davy Jones," he said. "Inside lies his heart." Sora raised his head with mockery.

"His heart, right…" he said sarcastically. "If his heart was gone then he'd be a…" He left his sentence hanging as his blue eyes widened in fear. Sora quickly glanced at Kairi to see the same fear in her own eyes.

"We need to get off this ship now!" she said hurriedly. Sora quickly glanced around, fearing that Dusks would suddenly appear. Will nodded his head and motioned for them to follow him. Bootstrap Bill and Mac were waiting for them by a longboat they had readied. Bootstrap handed Will a knife and began talking to him, but Sora and Kairi weren't listening. They were hugging Mac in farewell.

"Get yourselves to land," Mac said, kneeling down slightly and placing hands on their shoulders. "I want you safe, both of you. I see a happy future together my children."

"But," Kairi said. "I'm not your daughter." Mac chuckled slightly.

"In my eyes, you already are," he said, his green eyes twinkling at her. Kairi smiled and hugged him again.

"Alright," she said slowly, "father." Mac turned to his son as he let go of Kairi. "Take good care of her," Mac ordered. "Do not lose her, or I'll be very disappointed. I want grandchildren after all." Sora and Kairi smiled at his father as they prepared to board the longboat.

"We'll make sure you have them," Kairi said, glancing slyly at Sora. "In several years after the worlds are safe." Mac laughed heartily as Will left his father.

"After what you all told me this afternoon," Mac said with a smile, "I wouldn't want any kids coming along any sooner than that." William looked at the two pirates before boarding the longboat.

"They'll know you helped us," he said.

"What more can they do to us?" Bootstrap asked with a laugh.

"As long as you all are safe, I don't care what happens," Mac added with a grim face. He glanced around apprehensively. "No go and get thee gone before someone wakes up." Sora nodded as they were slowly lowered into the water. Grabbing an oar, he and Will began to row away from the ship into the night.

* * *

They swapped turns sleeping and rowing all that night, Sora and Kairi sometimes sleeping together as William confidently rowed alone. It rained several times as well, making the inside of their longboat damp and wet, as well as drenching the three with more than just sea-spray. They got picked up by a merchant vessel near dawn, the captain and crew giving them blankets as they were brought shivering into the captain's cabin.

"Strange thing to come across a longboat so far out in open waters," the captain said.

"Just put as many leagues behind us as you can," Will ordered frantically. "As fast as you can."

"And what are we running from?" the captain asked. Will clammed up and Sora withdrew further into his blanket so they wouldn't see his fire magic slowly heating him. A yellow-white dress suddenly caught Sora's eyes and he nudged Kairi, pointing at it.

"That dress," he asked as Will stood up to pick it up. "Where did you get it?"

"It was found aboard the ship," Captain Bellamy answered. "The crew thought it was a spirit, bringing omens of ill fate. But it proved quite the opposite. The spirit told us to pull in at Tortuga, and we made quite a bit of profit, off the books of course."

"I imagine," Will said, turning around. "That some of your crew may have jumped ship there?" Bellamy's face took the appearance as if he was being accused.

"Why do you ask?"

"Captain!" Sora swiveled his head to see a messenger standing in the doorway. "A ship's been spotted," he continued.

"Colours?" asked Bellamy.

"She isn't flying any," the messenger replied. Bellamy's visage hardened at his words.

"Pirates!" he spat.

"Or worse," Kairi said worriedly as she and Sora rose from their blankets, completely dry. Sora dashed out of the cabin after William to see a ship with dirty ragged sails and a skeletal frame on their aft.

"We've doomed us all," Sora whispered as his eyes filled with fear.

"It's the _Flying Dutchman!_" William yelled from atop one of the masts. A great thump suddenly shook the ship and Sora fell to his knees, catching Kairi in the process.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kairi replied, going over to the railing to look down. Sora followed her and saw bubbles rising from below.

"Free the rudder!" Captain Bellamy ordered. "Hard to port then hard to starboard!" As his orders were carried down a tentacle rose from the depths and grabbed him without Sora or Kairi noticing, dragging him underwater. A scream filled the air as the tentacle rose again to a great height and all saw the captain in its clutches.

"KRAKEN!" A crewman yelled. Men began bustling about, grabbing iron spears and axes as a bell began ringing. Sora and Kairi pulled out their keyblades in a flash as giant tentacles with suckers large enough to suction a face clean off started creeping up the starboard side of the ship. Sora activated a firaga spell and the Oblivion crackled with encircling flames as the kraken's tentacles' points began to show. Sora leapt away from a tentacle as it made its way past him and hacked it with the Oblivion's flaming blade. His keyblade cut deep into the beast's flesh and it recoiled away with a crewman in its grasp. Sora turned and viciously fired off a thundaga spell at another one as it made its way around the ship. The smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils as one of the masts was cracked apart. A man stood beside Sora, aiming a rifle at one of the tentacles before he was grabbed. Sora turned as the man let out a blood-curdling scream and watched with horror as the man was quickly dragged to the depths. Kairi ran up to Sora as he stood stalk still, the sea spraying him with water.

"Sora!" she cried, tugging on his arm. "Keep moving! It's dangerous to stay in one place." Sora snapped to his senses and looked up in time to see Dusks appearing on the ship. "Oh great!" Kairi yelled. "As if dealing with giant, flailing tentacles wasn't enough!" Sora leapt forward with a cry and slashed his flaming keyblade straight through three Dusks that were unfortunate enough to be standing adjacent to each other. A Dusk was about to strike him in the side when it suddenly vanished, the Sleeping Lion resting where its head had been.

"Need a hand?" Roxas asked, smirking. Sora nodded and pounded Roxas' outstretched fist before leaping out of a tentacle's way. Turning his blade, Sora made a cut for the tentacle, the flaming brand causing steam to rise from the cut he made. Sora felt water above him as he quickly dealt with another nobody and looked up to see two gigantic tentacles rising on the ship's port side, preparing to fall and crush the ship.

"FLY!" he yelled in panic as Roxas fearfully vanished into him. Sora leapt into the air and flew away from the vessel just as the tentacles started to fall. Kairi erected a reflega shield behind them to hopefully buy some crewmen more time to jump overboard, but the tentacles broke through it as though it weren't even there. Sora didn't look back as he changed his direction and plummeted straight into the water, bits of flying wood peppering his back. He heard a loud crack as he resurfaced and saw the remaining mast fall down into the water, but not before William Turner jumped off of it. Sora swam his way over to a piece of driftwood where Kairi was waiting and William arrived seconds later. Their reprieve was brief though, as the _Dutchman_ came up behind them and they needed to evacuate their makeshift raft. Coughing up water, Sora swam up to the jagged crest of the _Flying Dutchman_ and wearily dragged himself into the wooden jaws. Sora panted heavily for a few minutes, coughing up water as Kairi knelt on her knees next to him.

"So that's what my dad fought," Sora weakly said at last, stabbing the Oblivion's now extinguished blade into the _Dutchman_'s hull. "No wonder nearly everyone died." Sora heaved himself up off the wood and stood up to see Kairi still kneeling on the wood.

"We lost," she said, bringing a shaky hand to her face. "We've never lost before. Never." Sora looked at her with pity and placed his hand under her chin.

"Look at me," he said calmly, raising her head so her eyes would meet his. "I know I've never lost," Sora said. "But it was bound to happen sometime, especially with the way things have been going." Kairi stood up and leapt into his arms in a sudden movement that caught him off guard. Sora looked at her frightfully for a moment before hugging her and quieting her with calm words. Will suddenly came into the crest of the ship.

"This is not over yet," he said, looking on as Sora and Kairi embraced. He glanced to his right to see a glow coming from the depths of the ship. "Sora?" he asked. "What is that?" Sora raised his head from Kairi's shoulder and looked into the glow to see the shape of a keyhole coming from the ship. Kairi released him as he wrenched the Oblivion out of the wood and sealed the keyhole to Port Royal.

* * *

They stayed in the hull for an hour or two, resting. An island then appeared on the horizon, the _Black Pearl_ on the waters near it already. Sora looked at Will, who nodded his head. The three of them rose from within the _Dutchman_ and swam to the sandy white shore. They rose over a hilltop to see Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth, Max, and the former Commodore Norrington leaning over a chest.

"You really were telling the truth," Norrington said, looking at Jack.

"I do that quite a lot," Jack replied. "Yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!" Will said, letting them know they were there. Sora looked on as the four assembled around the chest turned around to see them.

"Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed, leaping into his arms and kissing him wildly. Max walked up and briefly hugged Sora and Kairi, slapping their shoulders.

"After Jack said that Zola and Kaili had been press-ganged into Davy Jones' crew," Max said, his eyes smiling as they remembered Jack forgetting their names again. "I somehow knew you guys would show up here." He stepped back for a moment and looked them over.

"I love the new outfit Kairi," he said. "Black looks good on you. But Sora, your pants are all wrong for that jacket." Before Sora could speak up Jack spoke.

"How'd you get here?" Jack asked in confusion. Will looked at him.

"Sea turtles mate," he answered. "A pair of them, strapped to my feet."

"Not so easy is it?" Jack said, giving a slight bow.

"I suppose we should be thanking you though," Will continued bitterly as he held Elizabeth.

"You should?" Jack asked with a confused expression.

"After you tricked us onto that ship to square your debt with Jones," Will continued. Elizabeth whipped her head around to glare at Jack.

"What?" she asked.

"What?" Jack said, imitating Elizabeth. Will continued his rant.

"Sora and I were reunited with our fathers." Jack did a small bow again and moved his hands in a flourish.

"Oh," he said. "Well, your welcome then." Elizabeth left her love's side and stormed up to Jack.

"Every word you said to me," she scowled. "Every word was a lie."

"Pretty much yeah," Jack replied lamely. "Time and tide love." Max looked at Sora with interest.

"Your father?" he asked. Sora nodded his head grimly when Will suddenly pulled the chest towards himself, drawing his father's knife and the key in the process.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to kill Jones," William said. Jack drew his sword and placed it by Will's neck.

"I can't let you do that William," he said. "Because if Jones is dead, then who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh?" Will sheathed his dagger and backed away from Jack's sword. "Now, if you please," Jack continued, his hand outstretched. "The key." Will suddenly grabbed the sword in Elizabeth's sheath and pointed it at Jack.

"I keep the promises I make Jack," he challenged. "I intend to free my father, and Sora's father as well. I hope you're here to see it." Sora and Kairi suddenly came forward, holding their keyblades.

"You left us trapped on that ship," Sora snarled, pointing the Oblivion at Jack.

"And you forgot my name!" Kairi spat. "I have a shrewd suspicion that Will is going to open that chest and free their fathers." Norrington suddenly drew his own blade and pointed it at Kairi.

"I can't let you do that either," he said. "So sorry."

"Knew you'd warm up to me eventually," Jack said before Norrington's blade turned towards him, Sora's blade pointed towards Norrington as well while Kairi kept hers on Jack.

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest," the former Commodore said. "I deliver it, I get my life back."

"Ah," Jack taunted. "The dark side of ambition." Norrington shook his head.

"Oh I prefer to call it the promise of redemption," he said. Norrington swung his blade downwards at Jack's blade and Sora swung at Norrington, blocking the blow as Kairi and William began to attack Jack. Jack ducked Will's strike and glanced his sword outwards to parry Kairi's blow. Sora swiped his keyblade outwards towards Jack. The blades glanced each other in midair as they each blocked while Kairi turned and defended Sora from a sneaky attack of Norrington's. Jack turned and heaved William's blade away and kicked him in the chest and grabbed the key. Will was sent sprawling onto the ground near the chest of Davy Jones.

"Will!" Elizabeth cried, dropping near him as Sora, Kairi, Jack, and Norrington continued to duel.

"Guard the chest," Will said, getting up to jump into the fray again. Elizabeth looked angrily at him as Max ran up to her side.

"NO!" she exclaimed as Sora switched off with Will and began tag-teaming Norrington with Kairi. "This is barbaric!" she yelled as the duel began retreating far away from the chest onto the beach. "This is no way for grown men to settle-! Oh! Fine! Let's just, pull out our swords and start banging away at each other! This will solve everything! Well I've had it! I've had enough! Wobbly-legged, rum-soaked PIRATES!" Elizabeth began wildly throwing rocks at the duelists as Sora parried an attack of Sparrow's before reversing his blade and blocked Kairi's falling Oathkeeper.

"Why are we fighting each other?" Sora asked curiously, as they switched blows with each other, each keyblade barely striking the other as they circled 'round. Kairi shrugged as they let their blades fall to their sides.

"Heat of the moment," she responded, before savagely slashing her blade downwards at Jack who parried the attack and fell to the ground. Will snatched the key back and Jack rolled over and attempted to hack at Will's retreating legs.

"Bugger." Jack said, rolling away just in time to avoid a shard of ice that Sora had sent his way. "OI!" he cried, standing up and drawing the duel to a halt for a moment as everyone looked at him. "Can we all agree that there is to be no magic in this contest?" he said, spreading his arms wide. Kairi pointed her keyblade at Jack and sent a small projectile of fire in his direction. Jack swung his sword the fireball and deflected it off into the sky. "Guess not," he said as Sora appeared in front of him and glanced his keyblade off of Jack's sword. Sora rolled away from Jack's next strike and aimed a blow at Norrington's back. The former commodore turned away from William in time to see it coming and ducked. He pushed Sora to the ground as Jack ran up and began trading blows with William, successfully stealing the key back after hitting him in the leg with his sword. Will staggered backwards as Kairi healed the shallow wound and Jack and Norrington began dueling. Sora rose from the ground and pursued them, Will and Kairi at his back.

The five started dueling in a circle that constantly moved inland and the key swapped back and forth. Sora strode headfirst into the jungle, the key in his left hand as he turned around and used a reflega spell to block Kairi's incoming lighting bolt. The bolt struck the shield and exploded, sending Sora to the ground with the force of it. Norrington ran up and whacked the Oblivion away, grabbing the key from Sora's left palm. Norrington turned around and started defending himself from Jack and Will with one hand as he held the key outstretched away from them in his other. Kairi came up behind him and tried unsuccessfully to take the key several times before backing up further and holding her left palm outstretched.

"Accio key," she said. The key flew out of Norrington's hand and into hers. Kairi grasped it and looked at it in victory before turning head and fleeing into the air.

"Kairi get back here!" Sora yelled as Roxas materialized beside him. The two boys took to the sky and forced Kairi to return to the ground with a series of magical spells and attacks from above. Kairi landed in the jungle nearby a church graveyard and felt the key slipping from her grasp as Jack ducked under her arm and grabbed it. She blasted Jack in the back with a waterga spell and Jack fell. Will ran up and snatched the key back from him. Sora and Roxas landed in front of Will and began trading blows with him, metal ringing as the blades glanced off of each other. Will fell back and Norrington snatched the key away. Norrington blocked the three falling keyblades Sora and Roxas were using and ran away towards the church. Sora and his nobody were about to follow when Jack and Kairi grabbed them from behind and sent them sprawling to the ground. Jack chased after Norrington while Kairi raised her keyblade upwards to deflect an attack from Will, who was also advancing to the church. Sora rose to his feet and aimed a blast of freezing ice at Kairi's back. Naminé burst in with the Island's Fire and blocked it from contact with a reflera shield. Roxas ran forward and swung the Sleeping Lion in a downwards cut at Naminé and brought the Fenrir upwards in a pincer move. Naminé blocked his downward attack with her keyblade and Kairi turned around and tossed the Oathkeeper at Roxas' rising Fenrir. The Oathkeeper clanged into the Fenrir and was sent flying at Sora as the Fenrir fell limp to the ground. Sora snatched the Oathkeeper in his free hand as the church bell began ringing and charged forward at Kairi, deflecting the spells she sent at him with both blades. Sora lunged at Kairi with the Oathkeeper only for it to vanish and reappear in her hands. Sora twitched his body just in time to avoid her attack when a Dusk came into being right in the path of Kairi's falling keyblade. The Dusk vanished in a sparkle of light as more of its kind as well as Berserkers, Samurai, and Dragoons appeared.

"Oh great!" Naminé said, kicking the Sleeping Lion off of her keyblade. "Nobodies!" Roxas turned around and pointed at the Samurai.

"Samurai!" he ordered. "Join us!" The Samurai nobodies nodded their heads and drew their katanas, proceeding to duel with the Dragoons who countered with their lances. Sora looked up from Kairi and brought his keyblade up to block a swing from a Berserker. The Berserker's claymore though, acted as if his keyblade weren't even there and sent Sora flying into the church's stonework. Sore cringed as he fell back from the stone and obliterated the Berserker with several lightning bolts that circled around and exploded as the nobody became the focal point. He looked up to see Will and the former Commodore Norrington fighting Jack who had the key. Jack's blade fell from his hands and landed next to Sora while Will and Norrington pointed their swords at the pirate captain. Sora shrugged and turned aside to deflect a Dragoon's lance that had broken past the Samurai. Sora smacked the lance away, knocking it out of the unfortunate nobody's hands, before leaping straight at the floating creature and skewering it with the Oblivion. Sora landed on the ground as the Dragoon exploded in a white flash and ignited his keyblade. He hurled the blade at the last Berserker that was about to attack Kairi in the back. She turned around just in time to see the flaming Oblivion cleave right through the nobody, halting its attack. Kairi leapt at it and arched her blade past its massive claymore, stabbing it in its silvery chest. Sora summoned his keyblade back into his hands as the last foe vanished. Jack suddenly landed next to him and pulled his fallen sword out of the ground.

"Still rooting for you mate," he called over his shoulder as Will and Norrington began to fight on the church's giant waterwheel. Sora, Roxas, Kairi, and Naminé advanced on Jack as he began walking away.

"Where do you think you're going Sparrow?" Kairi asked, threatening him with the Oathkeeper. Jack barely spared a glance for her.

"Back to the chest dear princess," he said, before suddenly vanishing from view as he fell into an unclaimed grave. A rumbling suddenly shook the ground as the wheel broke loose from the side of the church and began rolling towards them. Jack popped his head up from the grave just before the wheel rolled over it. He broke through and got himself caught, his legs flailing as William and Norrington fought on the top of the turning wheel. Sora dashed like a deer after them, the wind whipping through his hair as Jack suddenly fell out of the wheel. Sora leapt over the pirate and hopped inside the turning wheel and spotted the key hanging on its cord. His face grew into one of triumph as he grabbed the key, but Norrington saw Sora grab it and slashed his blade down into the wheel's insides, cutting the string the key was attached to. Sora held onto the key as the string fell down and Norrington and Will both jumped onto the inside of the wheel as it turned. Sora easily had it easier than the other two when they went upside down, because he could just float in the air and remain upright. After the wheel made one rotation Sora leapt out, only for Jack to swipe the key from his hand as Sora rolled. He retaliated with a slash but was forcibly prevented from pursuing as an axe struck his keyblade. Sora turned and fought off the assailant, sticking his blade into flesh. Sora looked up to see that his attacker was one of the crew aboard the _Dutchman_, and his anger boiled as he ignited his keyblade that still resided inside the pirate. The pirate howled in agony as Sora withdrew his blade, little fish spewing from the wound and squirming all around his feet. Sora withdrew his gaze as he heard a nearby cry.

"Sword!" Elizabeth, Pintel, Ragetti, Max, Roxas, Naminé, and Kairi were all fighting the pirates, and falling back. Sora dashed up to them as Max tossed his sword to Elizabeth so she could block an attack a pirate was making for her. Running up behind Naminé, Sora brought his flaming blade upwards and parried an attack the cursed pirate was making for Naminé. The sword deflected off of his keyblade and Sora slashed the pirate across the ribs. Naminé muttered hurried thanks before swinging Island's Fire to her left side in a spiral while twirling around to block another pirate's strike on her side. Her keyblade glanced off of the pirate's sword with enough force to cause it to bounce off of the Island's Fire as Naminé continued the spiral and cut the pirate's throat. He recoiled his head in pain as the group continued to retreat. Pintel and Ragetti tossed Elizabeth both of their swords as Max called for his own back. The two pirates picked up the chest of Davy Jones that they happened to stumble upon as Elizabeth blocked the attacks of three pirates with both of her swords. She threw them off of her and delivered a quick slash at their midriffs before turning her back and reversing her blades, stabbing intently into the waiting guts of two of the cursed crew. Roxas parried attacks that two more pirates were making at him by deftly swinging his two keyblades around with elliptical motion as he twisted 'round and 'round. With two great slashes he disarmed the men and hacked across their ribs. The pirates clutched their stomachs in pain before eying Roxas with loathing.

"They're immortal!" Roxas said as he quickly fell back to join the others in the retreat. "We can't beat them!" His blue eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "But we at least have some help to hold them back." Sora threw a glance at his nobody to see Roxas raising his arms. Roughly seven samurai appeared behind Sora in the direction they were running, katanas drawn. Roxas didn't even need to utter a single word as his minions charged through their broken line to hold the pirates back.

"Sora!" Kairi called as they got out into the clear. "Where's the key?" Sora looked up at her in apprehension as they left the jungle and started running through the beach towards a longboat where Captain Jack Sparrow was wielding an oar and dueling with a pirate.

"I don't know," he answered. "I think Jack has it." Suddenly they heard a roar behind them to see the pirate crew gaining fast.

"The Samurai didn't hold as long as you hoped Roxas," Naminé said as they continued to run. A great waterwheel then rolled out from the jungle and ran over half of the pirates before stopping and falling over onto its side. Will and Norrington got out, incredibly dizzy.

"Right," Will said as he spied the fight now picking up again. He pointed his sword at the group, and promptly fell down into the water as Norrington began running to the boat.

Sora blocked two strikes by one of the pirates with the Oblivion, stepping back all the while, before sticking out his left hand and sending a blizzaga spell at the pirate's arm. The pirate howled as his flesh froze and Sora retreated further and created a shell of fire between their group and the pirates.

"Fall back," he commanded, sprinting backwards. He heard a 'whack' behind him and turned to see William lying unconscious by the boat.

"Will!" Elizabeth cried, turning towards her love as the pirates screwed up their courage and ran through the flames.

"Leave him lie!" Jack ordered, holding his oar in front of him. "Unless you plan on using him to hit something with." Max wiped his brow as the pirates approached.

"These guys won't die," he breathed. "We're not getting out of this."

"Not with the chest," Norrington said, grabbing the article from the boat. "Into the boat."

"James," Elizabeth said, looking up from the unconscious Will.

"Don't wait for me," Norrington said to her before leaping out past the pirates as the fire shield fell, leading them away.

"I say we respect his final wish," Jack said shakily.

"Aye!" Sora, and Pintel said as they began clambering into the longboat. Sora sat down next to a jar of dirt as the group got in, Roxas and Naminé vanishing so there could be more room, and rowed away towards the outline of the _Black Pearl_. They reached the _Pearl_ just as Will was starting to come too. Sora clambered up the rigging draped over the side of the ship with the others behind him, Pintel dragging Will on his back. The ship looked pretty much the same as the last time, except now there were far more crewmen. Gibbs approached him and Kairi as they vaulted over the railing.

"Sora! Princess!" he exclaimed in jubilation upon seeing their faces. "Glad to see you're back off that accursed ship." Gibbs proceeded to heartily shake their hands in welcome when Jack climbed up last. Gibbs turned to Jack and held a confused look as Ragetti and Pintel began hoisting the longboat up. "Where's the Commodore?"

"He fell behind," Jack said, cradling his jar of dirt. Gibbs' face fell.

"My prayers be with him," he muttered, looking downcast for a moment before his face brightened. "Best not wallow in our grief." He pursued Jack up to the helm with Sora, Kairi, and Max following behind him. "The bright side is, you're back. And made it off free and clear." A rumbling sound grew next to them as a ship surfaced, The_ Flying Dutchman_. Sora and Kairi retreated to the far side of the helm as they gaped in fear at Davy Jones, standing above them on the _Dutchman_'s towering decks.

"Lord on high," Gibbs said, crossing himself, "deliver us."

"I'll handle this mate," Jack said as he stepped past Gibbs. He held out the jar of dirt above his head and began waving it around and walking sideways. "OI! Fishface!" he yelled at Jones, attracting his attention. "Lose something? Eh? Scungilli!" Jack suddenly put a foot out into the air and fell down the steps from the bridge to the deck. Sora cringed as looked down the rail from the bridge. The jar of dirt popped up as Jack stood to show he was okay. "Got it! Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git? Look what I got. I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt. And guess what's inside it?" Kairi nudged Sora and he looked at her as Jones turned his back for a second.

"What has Jack got?" she asked with eyebrows raised.

"Well I'll tell you what he doesn't have," Max answered. "His brains that's for one." Sora nodded with a chuckle and looked at Jack again, only to have his attention drawn away by cannons being readied on the _Dutchman_.

"Hard to starboard," Jack said as he stared down the barrel of one of the guns.

"Hard to starboard!" Elizabeth shouted as Sora grabbed the wheel from Gibbs and spun it in a clockwise direction. Will began shouting orders as Max and Kairi leapt off of the helm to stations. Plumes of smoke came from the _Dutchman_'s guns as the _Pearl_ turned away. The cabin's windows shattered as cannonballs flew through, breaking down the wooden doors as they exited the cabin.

"She's on us!" Sora heard Pintel yell. "She's on us!"

"She can't hit us like that!" Sora retaliated. "There are no cannons at the fore of that ship." A cannonball suddenly flew past, shattering a lamp behind him and crashing into the deck, sending a man flying into the sea. Sora ducked his head in surprise as pieces of glass fell onto the bridge.

"You were saying!" Pintel argued. Jack approached the wheel and grabbed it from Sora, making an adjustment. Sora looked up at the black sails to see them filling with wind.

"Come on girl!" Gibbs yelled as more cannonballs fell into the sea near the ship, but more and more they fell behind the _Pearl_.

"She's falling behind!" Kairi said, pointing at the _Dutchman_ as she mounted the steps to the bridge once again.

"That's because the _Pearl _is the fastest ship on the ocean," Sora said with pride, stroking the wooden railing like it was his favorite pet. "She's nigh uncatchable, not even for the _Dutchman_."

"They're giving up!" Marty yelled from the rigging, pointing at the ship that was quickly fading into the distance. The whole crew began celebrating as Ragetti and Pintel locked arms and danced a jig. Sora cracked a smile and kissed Kairi's waiting lips. They had made it off safe and sound. Will approached Jack at the wheel.

"Our fathers," he said. "Are on that ship. If we can outrun her we can take her. We should turn and fight." Jack turned to William with a smile as he placed the jar of dirt on the rail.

"Why fight when we can negotiate?" he asked rhetorically. "All one needs, is the proper leverage." The ship suddenly shook violently and the jar of dirt fell onto the deck and shattered, revealing that inside all there was, was dirt. Jack whimpered and ran down the steps towards the pile of dirt. He began searching the dirt with his hands as if there was supposed to be something in there.

"Where is it?" he asked, looking frantically again. "Where is the thump-thump?"

"We must have hit a reef," a crewman yelled, looking overboard. Sora, Kairi, and William's eyes lost the luster they had held as it dawned on them.

"No," Sora breathed. "It's not a reef!" Kairi ran forward and grabbed Max's collar to get him away as William grabbed Elizabeth.

"Get away from the rail!" Will ordered as crew fell back.

"What is it?" asked Elizabeth.

"The kraken," Kairi responded, summoning the Oathkeeper to her hands.

"To arms!" Will ordered, striding forwards and grabbing a sword.

"Load the guns!" Sora roared, dropping down onto the deck next to Kairi. "Defend the mast!" He gave Kairi a brief look and held her eyes for a moment. "This time," he said, shaking his head. "We won't lose." Kairi nodded grimly as the Oblivion appeared in Sora's outstretched hand. Roxas and Naminé blasted in with their keyblades at the ready.

"Not this beastie again," Roxas said, preparing himself against the starboard side as Will gave his orders. Max stepped up to the four and drew his sword.

"You've fought this thing before?" he asked, waving his sword in the air as Elizabeth and others grabbed iron spears. Sora nodded grimly and faced the starboard side, waiting for the tentacles to appear. Slowly, their small, suckered ends rose over the rail and Sora and the others began backing away slowly, fire curling on the ends of five keyblades.

"Will?" Elizabeth asked loudly as the kraken's tentacles advanced. They backed away faster in the wake of the mythological creature, a full-fledged fireball growing in size on the Oathkeeper's glowing tip. "Will," Elizabeth said again, glancing down into the _Pearl_'s interior where Will was holding fire. "Will!" she yelled again.

"FIRE!" Will ordered. Sora heard the blast of the cannons as the tentacles writhed and recoiled immediately upon being struck. Sora and his company let loose their held fire as well, and balls of fire blasted into the retreating tentacles. Kairi leapt forward and aimed her keyblade at a flailing tentacle.

"Firaga," she said. A red laser shot out of the tip of the Oathkeeper and Kairi swiped it across the sky momentarily. The laser contacted with the tentacle and cut part of it off, the severed ends burning from the fire. The severed limb fell with a crash on the longboats and destroyed them as splinters of wood cracked off. Another tentacle surfaced and took its severed limb. Sora and the company surged forward to the edge and cheered. They had beaten it back. Will came up behind them as they looked down into the watery depths.

"It'll be back. We need to get off the ship," he said. Sora glanced at where the longboats had been to see them all broken.

"There's no boats," Kairi said apologetically before stamping her feet on the deck. "Oh why did I think of a laser beam?" Will looked as a barrel rolled across the deck and an idea formed in his mind.

"Pull the crates," he ordered. "Get all of the gunpowder onto the net into the cargo hold." He handed Elizabeth a rifle. "Whatever you do don't miss," he warned.

"As soon as you're clear," she answered before turning away. Kairi was still fuming about her poor decision when Sora placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You did what you thought was right," he said proudly. "And you wounded it. Be proud of that." Sora turned away towards Will as Kairi began pondering what he said. He, Max, Roxas and William descended into the ship's interior to be met by Gibbs.

"There's only a half a dozen kegs of powder!" he said. Roxas left and went to investigate while Will just looked at Gibbs.

"Then load the rum!" he ordered before turning away with Sora. The whole ship seemed silent for a moment, or it would have been if Max hadn't been arguing with Sora.

"You can't load the rum Sora!" he said passionately. "It is the best drink there is in all the worlds."

"If you like it so much," Sora retorted as crew began moaning with Gibbs' declaration to load the rum as well. "Then Kairi and I can conjure you some rum."

"You don't understand," Max argued vehemently. "You and Kairi haven't tasted that heavenly drink. You can't make it if you don't know what it tastes like!" Sora turned angrily to Max as they moved back to the upper deck.

"Then the next time you're in Radiant Garden," Sora said. "Get Merlin to teach you how to conjure stuff, then you can have all the rum you want."

Meanwhile Roxas was standing on the net in the cargo hold, looking dismally at the barrels in front of him, six barrels of gunpowder and about a dozen kegs of rum.

_Not enough for a good bang,_ he thought critically, rubbing his chin. He held out his arms while the crew wasn't looking and another barrel appeared in them. He smirked as he placed it in with the rest of the kegs. _Its too bad Axel's not here to see this,_ he thought. The ship suddenly thudded at the kraken's return. _Uh oh._ Roxas rose into the air and quickly shot out into the sun and landed next to Sora, pulling the Sleeping Lion and Fenrir out in the process.

"Why is it too bad Axel isn't here?" Sora asked. Roxas was spared from answering as the kraken attacked the lower decks and cargo hold with its tentacles. They heard Will yell for them to haul the net up.

"Heave!" Gibbs ordered. "Heave like you're being paid for it!" A tentacle rose up onto the upper deck and Sora and Kairi glanced at each other and nodded. They raised their keyblades at the tentacle and from the two blades blazing corkscrews of fire streamed outwards and caused the tentacle to retreat below the ship's rail. The kraken sensed them. It had fought these two before; they had caused its most serious wounds in their last battle. Two more tentacles rose onto the deck and hurled themselves at the keyblade duo. Sora and Kairi quickly took themselves into each other's arms and kissed, their keyblades flying around them and slashing up the tentacles before they could be grabbed.

"I love you Kairi," Sora said as their keyblades returned and Lover's Leap continued. The two leapt into the air but the limit was drawn to an abrupt close before the magical barrage could commence. One of the tentacles had grabbed Kairi's ankle!

"SORA!" she cried before the tentacle retreated to the depths. Sora turned his head in shock to see her figure disappearing beneath the waves.

"KAIRI!" he roared fearfully, zooming into the water after her. Sora looked around to see the tentacle holding Kairi under the water as she tried desperately to hack the kraken's tentacle off of her ankle. Bubbles were also arising around the tip of the Oathkeeper as she tried to burn it away, but the fire would just boil the water instantly before it could reach the flesh that bound her. Sora froze in horror as Kairi's movements began slowing down.

* * *

Naminé dropped to the _Black Pearl_'s deck on her knees, clutching her chest as the Island's Fire vanished. Roxas looked down at her with fear and released his hold on both his keyblades.

"Naminé!" he cried, dropping to her side and holding her. "What's wrong?" Naminé gasped and clutched Roxas to her with her free hand.

"Kairi's dying," she gasped. "And because she's dying, I'm going as well." Roxas looked bewilderedly at her.

"Why?" he breathed. Naminé looked at him with shining tears.

"We're connected," she explained in ragged breaths. "You and Sora are as well, but to a lesser extent. I get my energy and life from the light in our heart. I can use up my energy and she'll still be fine because it's her heart. But if she weakens, I lose my strength as well. I first figured it out in Neverland when she used her light as a weapon." Roxas looked at her with grief as she began flickering.

_Sora!_ He thought. _Do something!_

* * *

Roxas' comment snapped Sora out of his trance. He had been gazing, horrified, at Kairi's slowing movements as she began sucking in water, her oxygen reserves gone. Sora quickly shook his head to clear it of an image of Kairi floating lifeless in the surf.

_Okay,_ he thought in panic, _she can't breathe underwater. And neither can I unless…_ A light bulb clicked on in his head and Sora began to concentrate on ancient magic Donald had finally taught him at Sora's constant prodding.

A green light engulfed both Sora and Kairi and they began to change. Sora's shirt and vest vanished and the white bandages that had been wound around his chest and back slipped off, revealing completely healed skin. His shorts molded into his legs that began to stick together and grow into one blue appendage. A small fin began to grow out of the back of his waist as the appendage grew a large fluke and became a tail. The green glow faded as the transformation ended and Sora released his held breath and inhaled the ocean waters, surprised once again that he could breathe under the sea.

He couldn't spare a moment for contemplation however as his senses were brought back as a tentacle whizzed past him and rose towards the _Pearl_'s hull. Sora kicked his tail and swam forward towards Kairi's limp figure with the Oblivion at the ready. He swam underneath the steady appendage of the kraken and slashed his keyblade through the tentacle. It recoiled and thrashed about as Sora picked up Kairi's unconscious body and began swimming away, past the figure of a longboat on the surface returning towards the _Black_ _Pearl_, and towards the distant shore.

* * *

Naminé placed a hand to her head as she came back into solidly being a transparent figure.

"Kairi's okay," she said in awe. Roxas yelped at her new remark and quickly kissed her passionately, disregarding the bodies of crewmen all around them. Never had he heard such good news.

"Let all the worlds praise Sora," he said as he finished kissing her. "Whatever he did, I'm glad he did it." He heard a shout and saw Max wavering, retreating from a tentacle that was maliciously advancing upon him. The Sleeping Lion appeared in Roxas' right hand and he pointed it at the kraken's tentacle. "Firaga."

A circular blade made entirely of fire sprang out of the Sleeping Lion and began spinning straight towards the tentacle. It dug deep into the flesh and steamed, searing the tentacle with its agonizing heat. The tentacle retreated away as William fell down onto the deck next to Max. Roxas looked up to see barrels falling out of the ripped cargo net. He turned his head to witness Jack, taking aim at one of the falling barrels.

"Get down!" Roxas roared, shoving Max to the ground before vanishing his keyblade.

* * *

_Well that's it for this chapter. For once, it's a slight cliffhanger. Now to leave you all speculating as to what was in the barrel, and what's going to happen to Sora and Kairi._

_Leave a review! Please…_

_Authour's note_

_I know you are not supposed to so this on fanfiction .net however my mind was brought back __to** Mr. Fipp**__'s story after I made up the summon charm last chapter. I am so inspired by his work, that I am going to copy him._

_Not exactly copy however, as instead of putting your "__**Name in the Story**__", I'm going to put a "__**Character in the Story**__"._

_The first person that correctly guesses in either a review or PM each of the four summons I shall make will have the opportunity to select one character from a Disney or Square work not already mentioned in the fic, or a personal character of theirs. It can be a role-playing character, Guild Wars, WoW, ect._

_I will inform each winner that they won in a PM and then they can submit their character profile (with powers, raiment, weapons ect.) or chosen Disney or Square character and I will write the character in… somehow. Be assured, that character will not become a summon character. Also, the winner can only win once, so choose your character carefully. A short clue shall also be given at the end of each chapter as to who the character is if I believe the charm itself isn't enough._

_To return to the summon currently in question, here is the quote from the chapter._

"_Stooping down, he picked up a silver charm with a howling white wolf's head in the centre."_

_And now the clue:_

_This character is a cross between a huskie and a wolf with pure white fur from an animated television series from years ago set in the Klondike of the Canadian frontier._

_Happy hunting all!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk._


	19. The Tale of Two Nobodies

_And, after screaming several times at my e-mail inbox varying renditions of the phrase "It isn't Balto!" we have our first winner for Character in the Story. Give it up for **Naomine** who guessed correctly that it was White Fang! Don't worry all, you'll have other opportunities to win, and they'll be easier than the last one. Or more varied so I don't have everyone saying the same person. But I'm thrilled at the extent to which you have all gone to try and get a little piece of yourselves in the story. If I ever write a sequel, this contest is going to exist again._

_Now then, onto the fiction! And I decided to be a little cruel and unusual, yet also enlightening. So we leave Port Royal for a moment and follow instead a little back-story before returning to Port Royal._

_Disclaimer: (sigh) Do I still have to say that I don't own Kingdom Hearts? Come on Nomura! Hurry up and give it to me! Then I'll know all that you have planned for the next game._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XIX: The Tale of Two Nobodies

There was a room. A white room. And in that room was a woman with long blue hair wearing a black coat sleeping on a white bed. But that wasn't all that was in the room. Spiky black thorns weaved their way around the room, mostly concealing the walls as they defined it with Maleficent's personal touch. Even the furniture was made of the vines.

The woman was sleeping, but not peacefully. It couldn't even be called fitfully. She was in an incredibly restless sleep. The woman kept tossing and turning under her white blankets. Mumbling to herself as she dreamed.

"What," she groaned. "What are they?" She tossed her head ruthlessly onto the other side of her pillow, her blankets already half off. "Cynn, we have to," she continued. "Have to… Rurik!" She bolted upright in a cold sweat, her tawny eyes fully alert as she panted heavily. She sat staring straight ahead of her for a moment before looking around frantically. She took in her surroundings with a quick eye, resting for a few seconds on a pair of shining axe blades with crimson hafts. The woman sighed shakily and placed a hand to her quaking head.

_Not that dream again,_ Cossex thought as she shoved the blankets off of her. She had had the same dream for the sixth time in the last twenty days, and every time it had left her waking in a broken, sweating heap. Cossex got up and walked to her mirror, observing her pale, clammy skin and matted blue bangs in the reflection. At this stage, like always, she suddenly felt herself trying to remember the dream.

She had been standing out in a barren landscape. The land was lifeless. Few trees were present, those that were were dead, and it was devoid of life. All life? No. There had been others with her. There was a man with jet-black hair and a black beard that traveled around his chin and his upper lip. He was garbed in a sleeveless coat that went from his shoulders to his knees. It started in a robin's egg blue, and slowly developed into a deeper, darker shade of blue. Under his coat was a tanned shirt with a maroon belt and golden belt buckle holding up his forest green pants and in his arms rested a tan coloured longbow. Next to him stood a woman with blonde hair done up in two buns on the top of her head. Her raiment was of light shades of blue and white, together making a light battle dress of soft fabrics while she wielded a blue feather-like wand about two feet long. Standing next to her was a bald man in light coloured robes with a dark chestnut shirt underneath his cream vest. Tattoos adorned this man's head and muscled arms that held a granite coloured staff. And towering in front of them all was a man of about the same height, yet he caused them all to feel a sense of awe around his regal presence. He was dressed in intricate golden armour, aquamarines glittering in the middle of his breastplate and his belt. In his left hand rested a shield with a purple face and golden rims circling it like horns, and in his right was a sword with a golden guard and a double helix blade that sprouted a tongue of flame in the centre. Cossex herself was changed too. She didn't have the long blue hair that now grew from her head. Instead, short blonde locks flowed past her cheeks. The Organization cloak she now wore wasn't on her, replaced by a brown, black, and maroon leather breastplate with a golden brown diamond between her breasts. A steel skirt came down from her waist to meet steel plate leggings that traveled down her legs to the ankles of her booted feet. Silvery-steel bracers were on her arms, just above her hands that held one of each of her axes.

They had been looking into the barren landscape. Words were spoken between them all, but in her reminiscing Cossex could scarcely recall them. The man with the flaming sword, _Prince Rurik_, Cossex remembered, had led them down past a broken wall on what had seemed a regular patrol. It had went well for a time as Cossex remembered, with no enemies appearing for at least ten minutes after the dream had started. But then something happened on their way back. Great black creatures, their muzzles making them resemble hideous pit bulls as their feral claws held a weapon of some kind or even a shield in some cases, and some held no weapon at all, appeared from giant black swirls. They each had an iron helm overtop of their black fur-lined head and yellow eyes, and the helm had the heartless symbol on it. Cossex and the prince had charged the beasts head-on, expecting an easy fight as they had fought creatures that looked similar, but this battle proved quite different. Each time they tried to attack they were overpowered by a single heartless' strength, even with the bald man, _Mhenlo,_ casting healing spells, the black haired man, _Aidan, _shooting poisoned and flaming arrows, and the other woman, _Cynn,_ throwing fireballs and raining fire upon the heartless they had failed to inflict a single casualty on the foe. Prince Rurik had ordered that they fall back after five minutes of struggling with the heartless, and they all hastened to agree except for Cynn. Cossex tried to talk to the stubborn elementalist but while Rurik's back was turned one of the heartless raced towards him. This was when she had cried out "Rurik!" and rushed to intercept, feeling the claws of the heartless raking through her as she took the hit that was meant for the Prince an instant later, she could hear them all cry out her name right at the end.

"Devona!"

And that was when she always woke, sweaty, panicky, and cold. Cossex shook her head in front of her mirror and looked at her hair. Blue. Not the blonde that had sprouted from her head since the day she was born, but the blue that she had gotten used to since she became a Nobody.

_They had looked like the Charr,_ she thought in despair. _Except bigger, nastier, and more instinctual and feral._ Cossex hung her head and shook the memories of her past whole self from her mind for the time being. The memories of her friends were of no need to her yet, not until she got her heart back. Cossex brought her head back up and strode out of her room into a sort of kitchen/dining room where Nixion was sitting at a table. He brought up his silver covered head after taking a sip of his coffee and raised his eyebrow at her.

"You're late out your room today," he commented. "That dream again?" Cossex nodded curtly and pulled out a coffee mug to pour herself a cup of the brew. Nixion swiftly glanced in the direction of the door where Maleficent was oft to walk in when they least expected it. Seeing it empty he heaved a sigh as Cossex sat next to him. "I don't trust her," he said at last after Cossex had taken a drink. She raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at the doorway as well.

"I know what you mean," she said quietly. "She shanghaied me into working for her until we opened Kingdom Hearts. She said my heart would have to be in there by the time it was opened." Nixion carefully nodded his head. He had heard Cossex's reasons for joining before and he sympathized for her.

"As you know my reason is different," he said. "Maleficent promised be power. Power above all the others that had been my colleagues before she destroyed our world with the heartless. Resisting the urge to become more powerful than Bahamut and have people respect the fayth of Ixion for a change is too hard to pass up." Cossex smirked at him.

"Yet it seems I have the more power," she toyed. "You couldn't even handle Sora and his precious princess." Nixion flashed her a warning glare. She had hit a nerve.

"That's because of the powers you got when you became a Nobody," he muttered. Nixion took another sip of his coffee. _My powers just enhanced themselves, _he thought privately. _I didn't get new ones._ Cossex giggled to herself as she looked at Nixion's steaming face. He quickly got his facial features under control and looked at her with his own smirk. "But I didn't see you grabbing Jasmine the last time you tried that." Cossex's face wiped blank and she began snarling at him after a moment.

"They're immune to my powers," she said angrily, sipping her own coffee.

"Well," Nixion said, placing his mug down on the table. "How about you come with me tonight and we'll try for Belle again?" Cossex smiled at her companion as he continued. "It will give us a chance to get some practice nabbing those pesky princesses, and we can work on our technique when we need to snatch Sora and Kairi."

"But what about Maleficent's orders?" Cossex asked, smirking at the empty doorway. "I'm not supposed to confront any more princesses until we need Sora and Kairi." Nixion laughed and waved his hand.

"Details," he said jokingly. "She's in meetings with those other villains throughout the Galaxy until Sunday. She won't know a thing about today or Friday." Cossex smiled as a plan came to her mind.

"So we take Belle today," she said maliciously. "Then maybe I can persuade that oaf to come with me and abscond Jasmine tomorrow. Then Maleficent's meetings end on Saturday and she has at least one extra princess already set."

"And should you meet Sora and Kairi?" Nixion asked as he turned his head towards her, leaning back in his chair.

"Simple," Cossex replied before she drained the last dregs of the dark brew in her mug. Smacking her lips she placed the cup back on the white table. "I just fall back," she continued, "and let that blundering buffoon, Pete, take all the blame. Maleficent would have to agree." Nixion sniggered at her comment. True, Maleficent would agree.

* * *

Sora was wading in the surf by a rocky ridge about two feet from the surface of the water. The island was covered in a dense jungle, with a wide river entering it from the sea. In the distance was the _Black Pearl_, the kraken's tentacles still surrounding it. But Sora was not concentrating on it. He was instead giving his undivided attention to the young woman he had laid on the ridge. Kairi was breathing steadily while unconscious. She was lucky Sora had transformed them both when he did or else she might not have made it. Her dolphin's tail was the same as his, except it was salmon coloured, and Kairi's bandages had also slipped off in the water to show that her back was healed to perfection again. Her black top had also transformed into the black bikini top she now had on. 

Sora's eyes were set worriedly on her face however. She meant everything to him, he had gone through fighting fiends he had never imagined in his darkest nightmares just to save her, and he wouldn't let anything harm her now as she rested and regained her strength. She had inhaled a lot of water while she was floundering around in the kraken's clutches. Sora dropped his head as a tear welled in his left eye. If he hadn't been so horrified, he hadn't been so stunned, hadn't been so helpless Kairi might not be in the condition she was in now. Sora dropped his gaze as a tear welled in his left eye.

_It's my fault,_ he thought, clenching a hand into a fist. _It's my fault she's like this._ Sora punched the rock face with his outstretched fist. As the flesh contacted with the sandstone, Sora felt the brutal contact, but his body also shivered horribly as a loud explosion met his ears. Sora swiveled his head around to see the last wisps of flame from a giant fiery conflagration aboard the _Pearl_ disappear as all manner of bone and flesh was obliterated from the kraken's tentacles that had surrounded the cargo net. Sora watched in awe as the _Black Pearl_'s centre mast keeled over onto the ship's starboard side, looking more like a flaming matchstick than a mast as the sails burned with an intensity he had never seen before.

* * *

Max removed his arms from the back of his head and looked up as the sound of crackling flames thudded their way into the back of his deafened skull. Every noise seemed quiet after that last explosion. Max brought his head up to see a honeycomb barrier that Roxas had erected to protect the whole deck and bridge dissolving away. He watched as the crackling mast cracked and fell into the water on the starboard side, burning away the last of the rum. Max sniffled as he contemplated what that rum could have done instead of exploding. He began to sing a lament to his rum as Roxas got up and checked on Naminé. 

She was knocked out.

_Kairi must have fallen unconscious,_ Roxas thought before looking out to sea as Gibbs and Marty surfaced from the wreckage on deck and Cotton with his parrot came up from below deck. Roxas then looked up at the broken mast with pride before letting out a roar of laughter. Max stopped singing his lament to his rum and looked at Roxas as if he was the strangest person on the world.

"What's funny?" Max asked. Roxas wiped a transparent tear of mirth from his blue eye.

"I never thought," he choked out, still laughing. "That one barrel of C-4 could make such a cool explosion!" Max's eyes widened in awe, all previous grief about the rum vanishing.

"You put in a barrel of C-4!" he exclaimed, eyes as wide as saucers. Roxas nodded weakly, clutching his sides. Max let out a laugh as a smile as wide as a whale grew on his face. "You are my hero man!" he said, running up and trying to punch Roxas' shoulder, only for his arm to sink right through. Roxas grinned as Jack and Elizabeth came down from the bridge.

"Roxas!" Jack said, hearing their conversation. "What is C-4?" Before Roxas could explain a feminine voice spoke up behind him.

"C-4 is a very powerful high explosive," Naminé explained as she swaggered onto her feet, holding her head steady. "Why would you want to know about C-4 anyway?" Roxas began striding towards his girlfriend to make sure she was okay when Will spoke up behind Max.

"Roxas said be placed a barrel full of it in the cargo net," he said. Roxas stopped in his tracks, a look of fear filling his face as Naminé stood, fuming at him.

"YOU DID WHAT?" she shrieked, raising a fist to strike him.

* * *

Kairi moaned slightly as she regained consciousness, stirring around on the hard rock. She became immediately aware that her bare back was against something hard, and that she ached all over slightly. Kairi slowly fluttered her eyelids open so she could see, and all she found she could see was the blue sky above her. Not too disturbed, though highly confused, Kairi stayed staring into the sky for a moment before the sound of something fleshy slapping onto the rock reached her ears. 

"Huh?" she asked no one in particular, starting to prop her elbows onto the rock so she could get a good look.

"Nice to see you're awake Kai." Kairi started at Sora's voice and frantically looked in the direction of his voice to see him treading water in the waves only a few feet away from her. Kairi gaped at his bare chest for a moment, still astounded at just how _hot_ he now looked.

_He was just cute before,_ Kairi's inner monologue said. _But now he's a downright hottie!_ Sora sent a funny look at her empty stare and Kairi stopped gawking, a small blush forming on her cheeks. _Did he just catch me gawking at him?_ Kairi turned her head and wrestled her facial features into submission before looking at Sora again.

"Sora?" she asked, careful to look only into his eyes, and extra careful not to get lost in those either. "Where's your shirt and jacket?" Sora gave her a quiet laugh and looked at her.

"I never have a shirt when I'm like this Kairi," he said, a knowing smile on his face. "And you don't look too bad yourself like that." Kairi tossed a hand through her hair and leant closer to Sora.

"Like what?" Sora's head suddenly retreated below the water line. "SORA!" Kairi yelled in panic, her blue eyes growing wide in fear. She searched frantically for any sign of him for a moment, before she saw his spiky brown hair rapidly rising towards her. Kairi leant her head back at the last possible moment as Sora burst out of the water. Droplets fell down from his body as Kairi looked in awe at the blue dolphin's tail that had replaced his legs. Sora did a flip in the air and landed on the now wet rock next to her. He shook his head to clear it of the water before flashing Kairi a cheesy grin and gesturing towards her. Kairi's heart melted at his trademark grin before looking down at herself. Her black tank top was gone, transformed into the black bikini top that she now wore, and further down her body her waist melded into a pink dolphin's tail of the same style of Sora's, a small dorsal fin protruding just at the back of her waist. Sora patted her abdomen affectionately and brought Kairi's attention back to the both of them.

"You're gaining a bit of muscle Kairi," he said, indicating her abs while his smile stayed strong. "All this training is doing you good." Kairi smiled at him and briefly kissed his lips.

"It is," she said before looking down at her tail. "But it doesn't explain how I got from the kraken here, and why I now have a tail." Sora sighed and scratched his head as Kairi's face came back to his.

"Yeah I transformed us," Sora said uneasily. It wasn't everyday that your girlfriend almost died and the only way to save her was to turn her into a mermaid. Kairi's eyes narrowed at him and Sora began quailing. "It was the only way to save you," he said frantically. "You couldn't die, you just couldn't. I love you Kairi, and I wouldn't let you die without doing everything I could to save you." Kairi's eyes softened and she smiled at him before turning her attention past him to a ship on the horizon. Sora followed her gaze to see the figure of the _Black Pearl_, the kraken's giant tentacles wrapped around all that remained that floated, being dragged back to the bottom of the sea. Her eyes watered as she remembered who all remained aboard the ship.

_Max,_ she thought sadly. _William, Elizabeth._ Fear suddenly took hold as she remembered two others still aboard. She looked desperately at Sora and saw he was looking at her as well, the same fear evident.

"Roxas and Naminé," they said at the same time. Not sparing another moment, they both dived into the waters of the Caribbean. Sora immediately began swimming towards where the _Pearl_ had been, while Kairi floated beneath the surface for a moment, apprehension blazoned across her face.

"Sora," she called unsteadily at his retreating figure. Sora stopped moving forwards and turned around. "How do you swim like this?"

"Kick your tail," he instructed. Kairi did as she was told, finding it strangely harder to concentrate as she only had one tail instead of two legs. But when she kicked, she soared forwards, cutting through the water like a missile. Kairi smiled as she quickly caught up to Sora and they both proceeded forwards.

They went forwards now for about five minutes before Sora peeked his head above the waterline again. There appeared to be a longboat filled with people coming towards them. Sora motioned with his hand for Kairi to stop and she surfaced next to him, shaking her wet hair out of her eyes.

"I'm still amazed we can breathe underwater," she said. Kairi moved some more red hair out of her face with a flick of her wrist and Sora sighed. Kairi looked at him worriedly. "What's wrong Sora?" she asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry Kai," he answered, not looking at her. Kairi gave him a puzzled look and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry for what Sora?" she asked as a warm breeze billowed over the water. He turned further away, not wanting her to see his face.

"I was almost too slow," Sora said quietly. "You nearly drowned, and all I could do was watch while you slowly died." Kairi suddenly became fearful. There was a note in his voice she hadn't heard before. A quivering, and shaking note that seemed to emanate his fear. Sora had been truly afraid for the first time in his life. There had been times before when he was scared, but nothing had compared to this. Sora was in the most downcast and depressed state that she'd ever seen him in; even more so than back at home when the memory of Saïx still pained him horribly.

"How am I supposed to save the worlds again if I can't even protect the girl I love?" Sora asked quietly. This was not the Sora she knew. The Sora she knew was brave and strong, though not without fear. He was a hero, and a human. But the boy she saw in front of her was just a puttering flame, not enough fire to even roast a marshmallow. Kairi screwed up her courage and did something she had hoped she'd never have to do.

She slapped him.

"Sora get a grip!" she ordered as he felt the slap mark on his cheek. Sora slowly turned his head towards her, looking as if he'd never known her before. "You can't give up now just because some mythological creature got the best of me," Kairi argued angrily. "Just because I got knocked out is no reason to lose faith in yourself! Look at what you've done. _You_ turned us both into merpeople to save me, _you_ put the fighting spirit back in me after the last time we fought the kraken! And _you _were the one who saved the worlds twice. Remember when Donald, the King, and you thought that Goofy had died? Well you didn't give up then and you aren't going to give up now." She softened her tone and placed Sora in a comforting embrace. "How many times were you ever KO'd?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Sora replied. "Too many to count."

"And how long did they normally last?" Kairi inquired.

"Twenty seconds to two minutes," Sora answered.

"And did Donald and Goofy ever give up while you were out?"

"No."

"So then don't lose faith in yourself and give up when I lose it," Kairi ordered softly. "We promised before that we'd always be together. And I'm not about to break that promise and leave you." She pulled her head off of his and looked him square in the eyes. "I love you Sora," she said sweetly. Kairi caressed his red cheek softly with her fingers as she continued speaking. "I love you," she reiterated, "and I know you'll defend me wherever we are. But I know you can't do that constantly, so just trust me to keep myself safe sometimes. And if either of us falls unconscious, we'll defend us until we're both back in the fight. Okay?" Sora nodded his head as he saw Kairi clearly. She was a woman who would fight alongside him, and wouldn't give up no matter what the odds were. And if his life hung in the balance she would not waver, but gain strength tenfold to what it had previously been.

"Okay," Sora said before gently placing his lips against Kairi's. Their passion for each other flowed out between them as Sora's inner fire swelled again to great height, consuming him as he was reinvigorated. They broke apart slowly, the sun's morning rays shining in Sora's eyes. "I love you Kairi," he declared, nuzzling his head in her hair and soaking in her perfume. "But where did you learn how to hit like that?" Kairi laughed at him and pulled them both apart again.

"Tifa," she explained with one word. Sora nodded in understanding as a voice spoke out to the two of them.

"Ahoy!" Kairi turned her head away from Sora to see Max waving at them from a longboat loaded to the brim. Gibbs, Cotton, Marty, Pintel, Ragetti, William, Elizabeth, Max, Roxas, and Naminé were all uncomfortably squished inside the longboat as it made its way towards the steady teens wading in the water. All of them held shaky constitutions and seemed to be dealing with a collective grief.

"Would you like to come aboard masters Sora and Kairi" Gibbs asked uncomfortably, masking his emotions and glancing around at how full the boat was. Before either of them could respond Naminé stood up and glared at Sora while she held Roxas by his ear.

"Sora!" she ordered angrily, "teach your nobody some self restraint!" Sora chuckled as he looked at the pained expression on Roxas' face before quickly getting control of it as he spotted Naminé's unpleasant look.

"Why would I need to do that Naminé?" he asked, holding in his laughs as Pintel and Ragetti continued to row the boat past them. She shoved Roxas out into the water where he forcibly became a blue mist and went inside Sora.

"He placed a barrel full of C-4 on the ship," Naminé snarled before entering Kairi.

_Did you really do that Roxas?_ Sora thought.

_Did you see the _Black Pearl_'s mast fall into the water?_ Roxas replied, his tone indicating that he was pleased with himself.

Yeah… 

_Then I placed a barrel of C-4 on the ship._ Sora was broken from his conversation with Roxas when Will spoke next.

"There's room on the boat now," he said, glancing around slightly anxiously. Kairi waved him off as the boat passed them by.

"No thanks Will," she said. "We're good."

"We're going towards that island," Marty said, pointing at the island they had just come from. "You sure you can swim that far?" Kairi nodded vigorously at him.

"We just swam back from there," Sora said. Everyone on board gave them confused looks.

"But, how?" Elizabeth asked. "As tired as you are you should have drowned just on the way to get there." Sora and Kairi suddenly dropped far below the waterline, deciding that a direct approach would be the best way to show them.

"Okay," Sora said with a cheesy grin underwater as he glanced at Kairi. "We kick our tails really hard at the last moment before exiting the water, and we arch around the longboat. Think you can do that." Kairi smiled and looked down at her pink tail.

"This tail was made to do that," she said as the sounds of their friends' distress first reach their ears. Sora nodded at her and they both kicked off, streaming towards the surface. They broke through the waves with a splash and shot out. The occupants of the boat were showered with droplets of water as they stared at Sora and Kairi in awe.

"Mermaids," Gibbs breathed in a hoarse whisper as Sora and Kairi resurfaced, shaking water out of their hair.

"Actually no," Sora said as he turned towards Gibbs, the pirates hanging on to his every word. "I just transformed us into merpeople when Kairi was drowning so we could breathe underwater. And we aren't true merpeople anyway, because our tails are dolphin tails, not the scaly fish-like tail that Ariel and her father King Triton have." Gibbs nodded shakily while Kairi did a head count.

"Where's Jack?"

* * *

"Gawrsh Donald this still doesn't feel quite right," Goofy said quietly as he and Donald privately conversed while running behind King Mickey, a red and black llama, and a large man wearing a green alpaca wool shirt and brown cap. They had arrived in Peru six days ago and were currently helping a teenage emperor who had been turned into a llama return to his palace to change him back into a human before his evil advisor Yzma and her blundering assistant Kronk could beat them there. 

"I know," Donald replied as they ran up to the palace. "Normally I agree with what his majesty decides, but I don't like this one. Sora's our friend, and I don't feel very good with keeping the truth from him and Kairi."

"I know the king is trying to keep them from running straight into an ambush," Goofy continued. "But I think we might be doing more harm than good. With Cossex and Nixion out there, it might help if they had something more to fight for."

"Yeah!" Donald said brightly. "I know it seems like we're only thinking about winning, but we're also telling the truth to them. It hurts me too that their parents are dead. We can all grieve together."

"Less talkie more runnie!" Kuzco, the llama said frantically. Black shapes suddenly took form around the group and they stopped, drawing their weapons. "Ah!" Kuzco screamed as heartless in the shape of panthers appeared. Mickey dashed in front with his golden keyblade and slashed through one, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke and its heart to rise into the sky. Donald let thunderbolts rain down from the sky into four of the panthers and Goofy rushed forwards and bashed one into submission with his shield. Pacha grabbed a sword that Mickey had given him and thrust it into Kuzco's mouth.

"Not this again," the llama emperor said in a muffled voice. He wrapped his tongue around the grip and swung it violently. A panther that happened to be in the way was run through and vanished in a puff of black smoke. The last heartless jumped out of the shadows at Kuzco's unprotected back and the emperor turned in fear to see sharp black claws heading straight for him. The heartless vanished in a flash as Mickey's golden keyblade was brought across its head, a pink heart joining four others in the sky before they vanished.

"Quickly," Mickey said, looking towards the palace. "We have to hurry." His companions nodded and dashed forward with the mouse at the head, eviscerating heartless as they appeared. The palace was golden, in the shape of a head and crown with many jewels encrusting its front. They entered a room quite unlike the others. It was a dull stone room with a statue in the end with two tusks. Pacha ran forward and grabbed one of the tusks as they all stood around the statue. A trap door opened under them and Kuzco fell in with a scream. They heard a splash of water and moments later Kuzco reappeared in the room's entranceway with a large alligator biting his rear.

"Why does she even have that lever?" he asked as he kicked the gator off of him. Mickey shrugged and grabbed the other lever. The statue flipped around and they all landed in a purple roller coaster car.

"Please remain seated. And keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times," a voice spoke. Kuzco whimpered and Pacha nervously grabbed the guardrail while Mickey, Donald, and Goofy looked around nervously. The car suddenly shot downwards and Goofy let out his trademark scream. The car hit an end and they were all catapulted off onto the ground into Yzma's secret lab.

"Which one is it?" Donald asked as they began rummaging through vials of red potions.

"I don't know," Kuzco replied, "just keep looking." Pacha opened a large cabinet.

"Over here," he called. "It has to be one of these." There were vials everywhere in the cabinet on shelves with pictures of animals under the potions.

"Lions," Donald said.

'Tigers," Goofy added, looking at the potions.

"Bears," said King Mickey before looking next to it and seeing nothing under humans.

"Oh my," a creepy voice said from the shadows. "Looking for this?" A woman who was scary beyond all reason came out of the darkness, holding a vial of potion.

"No," Kuzco said while shaking his head. "It can't be; how did you get here before us?" Yzma put a hand up and opened her mouth as if to answer, but no sound came out.

"How did we Kronk?" she asked, turning to her assistant.

"Well you got me," the big tanned man said as he pulled a chart out of nowhere, showing red arrows for Kuzco getting all the way up to the palace and purple arrows for Yzma dropping off a cliff. "By all accounts it doesn't make sense."

"Oh well," Yzma said as she turned back to Kuzco. "Back to business."

"Listen Yzma," Kuzco said in his defence. "I know I wasn't as nice as I should have been. But, Yzma, you don't really want to kill me do you?"

"Think of as," Yzma replied, pausing for dramatic affect here and there, "you're being let go. You're life's moving in a different direction. That your body's part of a permanent outplacement."

"Hey," Kronk said in recognition, "that's kind of like what he said to you, when you got fired."

"I know," Yzma said. "It's called a cruel irony, like my dependence on you."

"I can't believe this is happening!" Kuzco exclaimed.

"Then I guess you weren't expecting this!" Yzma said as she grabbed a fold of fabric near her leg.

"NO!" Kuzco, Pacha, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cried. Yzma pulled the fabric back to reveal a jagged dagger. "Oh," they all sighed in relief.

"Finish them off," Yzma ordered, tossing Kronk the dagger. He looked puzzled for a moment before he started talking to his shoulders. "Kronk!" Yzma said after about thirty seconds. "Why did you think you could do this? This one simple thing. It's like I'm talking to a monkey! A really, really big stupid monkey named Kronk! And you want to know something else?" Yzma asked as she continued her tirade. "I never liked your spinach puffs!" Kronk gasped in shock. "NEVER!" He began sobbing and placed a hand to his head before looking up at a chandelier.

"That'll work," he said. His dagger deftly swung through the rope that connected to the chandelier and it fell down with a crash. All looked on in horror as Yzma stood in the centre ring, completely unharmed.

"Strange," Kronk mused. "That usually works." Yzma dashed over to lever.

"And so does this," she said, pulling the lever. A trapdoor opened under Kronk.

"Huh," he said as he stood in the air for a second. "I really should have seen that coming." Kronk let out a cry as he began falling. Kuzco jumped on Yzma while she was preoccupied and started trying to take the vial away from her, only to knock it away near the cabinet. Yzma flung Kuzco away towards the cabinet and he smacked into it, causing vials to fall and mask which one was correct. Yzma summoned panther heartless and shadows to her and began laughing maniacally at them while Mickey's golden keyblade appeared in his hands.

"We'll take care of the heartless," he said, throwing Pacha and Kuzco a determined glance. "You two find the right vial."

"Your majesty!" Goofy cried, rushing in front of Mickey and destroying a shadow with his shield.

"Thank you Goofy," Mickey said, jumping in with his keyblade and taking out two panthers with uppercuts. "I owe you one." Puffs of red smoke appeared behind them as Kuzco kept changing from one animal to the next. Donald shot a fireball at one of the heartless when he was suddenly thrust against the wall, someone's bulk pressing him into the stone.

"Don't you say a word," Kuzco the whale said in a warning tone. Pacha shoved another potion in Kuzco's mouth and he turned into a llama. "Yea! I'm a llama again!" Kuzco exclaimed, waving his hooves around before looking at them with disdain. "Wait…" Pacha picked up the last two vials as Mickey destroyed the last heartless.

"There's only two left," he said brightly. "It has to be one of these." Yzma ran up behind him and caused him to lose his grip on them. She charged at one of the vials and got into a tussle with Kuzco before landing on it. A red explosion took place and Yzma came out as a cute little kitten holding the remaining vial. Mickey took the vial from Yzma and uncorked it. Mickey tipped the contents down Kuzco's waiting throat and he transformed into a teenage emperor wearing a golden crown and red robes.

"Oh, yeah!" Kuzco said happily as he checked out his clothes. "I've got my groove back." A blue light suddenly shone from the side of the room and Mickey turned to see the outline of a keyhole. He raised his golden keyblade and sealed the keyhole before another light started coming from Kuzco's crown. Clouds formed around him and a keyhole appeared in the sky. Mickey pointed his keyblade at that keyhole and unlocked it, a light spewing forth.

"What's happening Mickey?" Pacha asked, looking up at the ceiling and back down to the mouse in amazement.

"We have to go now," Donald said.

"But don't worry," Goofy added. "We'll see each other again soon."

"We'd better," Kuzco said. "Because then I can show you how to really run a kingdom. A thank-you."

* * *

Sora transformed himself and Kairi back into normal people when they arrived at Tia Dalma shack, his shirt and jacket reappearing on his chest. It was dark, but it wasn't night. In fact it was just past noon. The jungle's canopy was so dense that little sunlight made it through to the water. People surrounded them in the water, holding lit candles as they sang with grief at their loss. Sora and Kairi glumly climbed up into the shack behind Will and they silently sat or stood around in their sorrow. Sora and Kairi were holding each other's shoulders and gazed sorrowfully down into nothingness. Jack may have been a pirate and not been the most trusting of people, but he had still been their friend. And now he was gone. But they would still continue. Sora perked his head up slightly as he remembered a pirate song his dad used to sing when he was little, before the fleet was attacked. 

"_The King and his men,"_ he started to sing softly, _"stole the Queen from her bed. And bound her in her bones._

_The seas be ours and by the powers._

_Where we will, we'll roam."_ Kairi and the others looked up as they heard the song.

_"Yo-Ho, haul together,"_ they joined in. _"Hoist the colours high._

_Heave ho, thieves and beggars. Never shall we die."_ They all looked downcast as Tia Dalma walked up to them with a tray full of mugs, offering each of them one. Sora took his mug and took a sip of the drink. Finding it revolting but drinking it anyway.

_I can't see why Max likes this stuff,_ he thought.

"Aye," Gibbs said to himself. "We won't go down. But the worlds already seem a bit less bright. He fooled us all right to the end, but I guess that honest streak finally won out." Gibbs faced them all and raised his mug in a toast. "To Jack Sparrow!"

"Never another like Captain Jack," Ragetti said with a tear in his eye as he raised his glass.

"'E was a gentleman of fortune 'e was," Pintel agreed.

"The best pirate I've ever known," Sora added, bringing his upwards.

"Best of his kind," Kairi let out, a few tears on her face.

"Best ever," Max added.

"He was a good man," Elizabeth said. William said nothing, and they all brought their mugs to their lips, drinking in the rum. Will turned to Elizabeth, seeing her shaking.

"If there was anything that could be done to bring him back," he said, looking imploringly at her. He stood up and faced her. "Elizabeth…"

"Would you do it?" Tia Dalma asked sharply before turning to Elizabeth. "What would you? Hmm?" She turned to look at the whole room collectively. "What would any of you be willing to do? Would you sail to the ends of the eart' and beyond, to fetch back, witty Jack, and him precious Pearl?" Silence greeted her for a few seconds before Gibbs stepped forward.

"Aye," he said. Sora and Kairi stood up.

"Aye," they and Max chorused.

"Aye," Pintel, Ragetti, and Cotton's parrot agreed. Tia Dalma turned to look at Elizabeth.

"Yes," she said, giving a small nod. Tia's gaze turned to William.

"Aye," he breathed.

"All right," Tia Dalma said, a smile on her face. "But if you're going to brave the weird, and haunted shores at world's end, then… you will need a captain, who knows those waters." The sound of boots descending stairs greeted them. Someone was coming down, and his footfalls were heavy. Sora's face filed with shock as the man came into view.

"Can anyone tell me," Barbossa asked. "What's become of my ship?" The Oblivion flashed into existence in Sora's palm as he stared down Barbossa. The pirate looked at him strangely. "Sora," he mused. "It's been a while."

"Yes it has," Sora growled. "And I'm sure you were dead."

"Well who better to lead ye to the land of the dead than someone who has already died?" he asked with a laugh. "But ye might want to come back to our world later master of the keyblade, for we'll be sailing to Singapore first. And from here, that journey takes roughly a year to accomplish." Sora nodded, but still warily looked at Barbossa.

"All right," Max answered and stepped up to Sora, feeling the tension between them grow. "We'll be back when you've reached Singapore, and we'll bring my father and Donald. How does that sound?" Sora and Kairi nodded their heads at Max. Barbossa held out a hand as the keyblade wielders placed hands on Max.

"One moment before you go Sora," he said. "I rather like that song you were singing, we'll make it our call." Sora nodded and Max touched his earpiece, bringing them back up to the Highwind. Sora sighed and dismissed the keyblade, shaking his head tiredly as Kairi yawned next to him.

"You two seem tired," Max said. "Fighting the kraken twice and swimming all that way. Maybe you guys should take a nap." Sora nodded and began walking off to his room.

"Just pick a world to go to," Sora told Max through a yawn as he entered his room. The door whooshed close behind him and Sora quickly conjured a pair of cargo blue jeans to go with his new outfit before crawling into bed.

"Sora?"

He turned his head to see Kairi standing apprehensively in the door that led into her room. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Yeah Kairi?" he asked. She took a small step forward towards him.

"Do you remember what Roxas and Naminé said about how well we-" Sora cut her off with a wave of his hand and lifted up the sheets on one side of his bed.

"I remember," he said with a smile as Kairi walked forward and slid in under the covers. She pecked his cheek softly before snuggling next to him. They fell asleep after mere moments, their breathing soft and rhythmic as they calmly held each other with one arm.

_Have a peaceful rest you two,_ Max thought as he observed from the doorway. _We'll be in Atlantica in three hours._ Max sighed warmly and began wistfully thinking of Roxanne as he backed out of Sora's room.

* * *

_Well there you have it. A shorter chapter, but it explains a little of what's going on right now and has a little foreshadowing. Next chapter, concert in Atlantica. Hope you all enjoy it, because that's all that's going to be in it._

_Please review._

**_May the Grace of the Valar Protect You_**

_Shire Folk_

_Sorry I missed this everyone. But just after I updated I left for the festivities yesterday and did not return until past midnight. I can't believe I forgot it._

_Happy Canada Day everyone! And if I don't update again until past Independance Day, happy Independance Day to all my American redaers!_


	20. Concert Under the Sea

_Here we go with another chapter, the one many of you have been waiting for. I give a shout out to __**bigadiggityd**__ who submitted one of the songs I'm using in this chapter. And if you haven't checked out his fic 'Fugitive Hearts' go for it! It's an awesome read and I am waiting for more of it._

_And a cookie goes to anyone who can guess what Max is before I tell you._

_This chapter is also going to be pretty short as it only entails the concert, and practically nothing else._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the songs I use in this chapter, nor the whole fic, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I just mess with it a little._

_Quick note: In the songs, when I have something in brackets (), it means that that word or line is echoed._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XX: A Concert Under the Sea

Sora and Kairi were sleeping soundly in Sora's room. Kairi was snuggled up in Sora's shoulder, her breathing soft and rhythmic, while Sora's head was turned towards her, one arm resting beneath him while another was lightly wrapped around her back, keeping her close. He snored softly, no longer as loud as when the _Highwind_ had fallen under attack. Kairi had one arm pinned under her as well, gripping Sora's jacket in her palm, while the other was around Sora's neck, her fingers entwined in his chocolate hair. Their hearts beat as one under the blankets that were wrapped over them while they rested and recovered a little from the day's events.

A light snapped on and they both winced, the electric light forcing them awake. Kairi removed her hand from Sora's hair and started rubbing her eyes as Sora yawned and lifted his arms.

"Wake up you two," Max said brightly from the door, a smirk on his face. Kairi stopped rubbing her eyes and turned her head sideways into the soft white fleece on the inside of Sora's jacket.

"Five more minutes Max," she mumbled, calmly breathing in and trying to fall asleep again as Sora mouthed the same thing and placed his arm around her again. Max just chuckled and shook his head.

"Come on now," he said encouragingly, banging his fist on the wall. "We're in orbit above Atlantica." Sora and Kairi cracked open their eyes and glared at him for disturbing their slumber. Max raised his hands defensively and turned around while he still smiled. "Fine, I'll turn around, let you two get out without embarrassing yourselves in front of me." He flicked his head back around to see both of them flushing red. "Man," Max chuckled as he turned his head away from them again, "you guys are too easy. I know you're both smarter than that. Roxas and Naminé though, I'm not so sure about." Sora flung the covers off of both him and Kairi and stepped out of the bed.

"Jeeze," he said while he held Kairi's gaze, "he's just like my mom." Kairi shook her head while Max stiffened, unnoticed.

"No," she argued. "More like my mom." Max cringed and prayed that they didn't see it. They stepped out past Max and began walking down to the galley. Kairi turned her head back and Max arranged his face into what he hoped was a normal one. "We're going to have something to eat first," Kairi said. "Coming?" Max patted his stomach and nodded. But when Kairi's head was turned he silently let out a sigh.

_I really need to tell them soon,_ he thought as they walked down the hall. They entered the kitchen and Sora and Kairi quickly set about cooking a meal for the three of them, aided and abetted by their magic. Max sighed as he watched them, running Riku's message over in his mind and thinking of Roxanne. _They make a great team,_ he thought as he watched Sora turn seasoned steaks on the built in grill while Kairi added spices, milk, and margarine to mashed potatoes. _When they open up that restaurant they've got planned when this is all said and done, I'm eating there all the time._

* * *

Forty minutes later they had supped and the five of them were floating in the waters of Atlantica, Roxas and Naminé having joined them. Sora and Kairi appeared as they had in Port Royal, while Roxas and Naminé were of the same style except with white tails and a white bikini top for Naminé. They each held their keyblades, for what they called a want to feel the cool water flowing through their hair. Max was the only one different. Goofy had been a turtle every time he had come to Atlantica with Sora and Donald. Max was nothing like his father when he changed, and he wasn't like Donald who became half an octopus either. Max was a fish, with a dorsal fin just above and behind his head with two pectoral fins underneath the dorsal fin. Another fin was near his crescent-moon shaped tail on his cream coloured belly, while a tiny second dorsal fin was above it and just in front of his tail. His upper body and tail had turned into a rich navy blue while Max's upper jaw had elongated and flattened as it stretched into a sharp point at the end. His scabbard was sheathed over the jaw. Max was a swordfish, fitting since he wielded a sword. 

Sora looked around at his companions happily before taking in his surroundings. They were in a grotto filled with numerous pieces of coral of vibrant colours. Stone columns adorned with the living coral arched their way up from the sea's bed and embedded themselves in the walls of the grotto. Out in the distance Sora could see King Triton's golden palace with its many towers. Sora watched as Max swam around on his own to get used to his tail when Kairi swam up to him.

"So what do we do in Atlantica?" she asked. Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," he mused to himself. "We sealed the keyhole the first time we were here and beat Ursula the sea witch. Then when we came back we helped Ariel find her true love while defeating Ursula again and singing in a musical." Sora turned his head towards Kairi and gave her a cheesy grin. "Not much to do here at the moment."

"I can think of something you can do." Sora and the others turned their heads to see a merman with a head of white hair and a giant beard of the same colour. His tail was a soft blue and on his brow rested a five-spiked golden crown while in his hands he held a golden trident.

"King Triton," Sora said, bowing before the monarch. Kairi and the others hastened to do likewise as Roxas and Naminé twisted their keyblades around so the blades were pointed away from the king under the waves. After a moment they raised their heads to see Triton staring at the keyblades in the hands of Roxas and Naminé. Sora cleared his throat nervously and Triton looked at him. "It seems the keyblade is deciding on choosing more wielders than just the chosen one," he said keenly.

"Actually, your majesty," Naminé said in a faltering voice as Triton's gaze came onto her. "Roxas and I are Sora and Kairi's nobodies, that's why we can wield the keyblade as well." Triton nodded his head at her.

"That makes sense," he said, "but I'm still uncomfortable with more keyblades making their appearance."

"Um, King Triton?" Max piped up as he swam back down to Sora's group. "What exactly did you have in mind for us to do?" Triton looked at him for a moment as if trying to perceive his innermost secrets and Max shied away from his gaze.

"Oh yes," Triton said in satisfaction, "that." He turned his attention back to Sora. "Since the heartless, you, Donald, and Goofy practically eliminated the rules of world order with your world hopping," Sora cringed away and Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder, thinking he would receive some form of punishment. "Sebastian and Flounder, as well as Ariel even though she now lives on the surface with her husband, have been asking me to start developing inter-world relations. At their, _prodding_, I have seen the benefit and am hosting a benefit concert tonight with musical groups from other worlds. However, most of them are human, so…"

"So you'd like us," Roxas finished, "to make sure they're okay with being underwater and lead them to the concert hall?" Triton nodded his head.

"Correct," he said. Sora placed his hand to his chin in thought and stayed silent for a minute until Kairi whispered something in his ear. Sora looked up at her with an inquiring look and Kairi nodded her head nervously.

"We'll do it on one condition," he said at last, looking the monarch in the eyes. King Triton became uneasy and shifted his eyes around. Sora finished before he could ask what the terms were. "We get to sing as well." The king looked up in relief at the young keyblade master.

"Is that all?" he asked with a chuckle. "Well in that case, I accept the terms. I'll send Sebastian and Flounder to lead you to where the musicians and singers are." With that the king swam away and Kairi beamed at Sora and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you Sora," she said. A gushy expression flitted across Sora's face and he looked at his love.

"Anything for you Kairi," he said. Max swan up to him and hit Sora on the top of his head with his scabbard. "Ouch," Sora exclaimed as he started rubbing his head. "What was that for Max?"

"What are we all supposed to sing?" Max asked frantically. "This is really short notice Sora, I need some time to prepare." Kairi giggled at his antics while Max kept swimming around in circles.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, Max, Roxas, and Naminé were all wading backstage of the concert hall with the bands and other singers. They had made arrangements with them so that each of them would sing one song. Roxas and Naminé would sing a duet, but since Roxas' parts were limited he would also sing his own song afterwards. They could hear the dull roar of the crowd as Sebastian and King Triton made announcements. They were all sweating nervously, except Sora and Kairi. She would have been sweating pounds off, had Sora not had an arm wrapped around her shoulders and been speaking words of encouragement to her. He wasn't afraid of singing in front of the audience; he had done so before the last time he was here. 

The crowd suddenly roared in volume and the curtains rose. Sora slightly backed away from Kairi as the light from below the curtain grew. A torrent of sound greeted them as the audience caught sight of Sora and they all swam forwards towards microphones.

"Good evening Atlantica!" Sora belted out in the centre mic. "I hope you all enjoy the show, and the opening act that consists of my friends and myself. On my left," he raised his left hand and indicated Max at the far end, "is our good friend Max, a talented singer from a band in Disney Castle. And next to him is my trusted nobody Roxas, who says I get my voice talent from him (A/N 2 Okay, so here's another one. If you didn't know, Roxas is voiced by Jesse Mccartney.)." The crowd roared at the introductions and Sora raised his right hand. "On my right," he continued as he motioned towards Naminé at the end, "is Naminé, the nobody of someone very special to me. And next to me, my right hand," Sora turned his attention to Kairi and took her hand with his right. "Is Kairi, one of the seven princesses of heart, and the girl who is first in my heart." Everyone cheered at them as Sora kissed her hand and Kairi smiled.

"Sora, stop," she said playfully. "You're embarrassing Max." The crowd laughed at her as Max swung his head around. Roxas chuckled and turned his head to look at the boy.

"Hey Max," he said, striking up a conversation. "Why don't you sing about that girl back home waiting for you?"

"Yeah," Naminé added. "Tell us about Roxanne." Max smiled and swam a little further up to his microphone as a rock beat began to play and the lights dimmed, except for a spotlight that shone on Max.

"_I walked along the avenue,_

_I never thought I'd meet a girl like you,_

_Meet a girl like you._

_With auburn hair and tawny eyes,_

_The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through,_

_Hypnotize me through._

_And I ran. I ran so far away._

_Couldn't get away."_

The audience, who Sora just noticed was full of teenagers and young adults with the odd cool-looking adult thrust here and there, started jamming away and banging their heads. Sora, Kairi, and the others grabbed their mics and started singing back up, slowly increasing the volume before Max began the second verse.

"_A cloud, a cloud, a cloud, a cloud, a cloud_

_A cloud appears above your head,_

_A beam of light comes shining down on you,_

_Shining down on you._

_The cloud is moving nearer still,_

_Aurora Borealis comes in view,_

_Aurora comes in view._

_And I ran. I ran so far away._

_I just ran. I ran all night and day._

_Couldn't get away." _

Sora and the others drew back as Max took centre stage; waving his head from side to side and feeling the instrumental music take him away.

"_Reached out a hand to touch your face,_

_You're slowly disappearing from my view,_

_Disappearing from my view._

_Reached out a hand to try again,_

_I'm floating in a beam of light with you,_

_A beam of light with you._

_And I ran. I ran so far away._

_I just ran. I ran all night and day._

_And I ran. I ran so far away._

_I just ran. I ran all night and day._

_Couldn't get away."_

The music ceased and Max bowed his head slightly as the lighting returned to normal. The applause and cheers rang out throughout the concert hall and they could distinctly hear King Triton clapping and cheering as well. Max looked around at his friends in appreciation before speaking into the microphone again.

"You know," he said slyly. "I'm not the only one here who has a special someone." Max turned his head and looked past his sword at Kairi. "Wouldn't you say so Kairi?" She placed a hand to her heart in feigned shock.

"Who me?" she asked, looking around frantically. Everyone laughed as Sora feigned a look of hurt.

"Kairi…" he moaned. She turned and grimaced at him before placing a soft hand to his cheek.

"I was only joking Sora," she said as she turned and wafted towards the microphone. The lights dimmed again and the spotlight fell on the princess just as a pop beat started.

"_I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me._

_I still feel your touch in my dreams. (In my dreams)"_

Kairi turned around and looked fondly at Sora, a warm light emanating from her heart.

"_Forgive me my weakness but I don't know why,_

_Without you it's hard to survive._

_Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling._

_And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly._

_Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last,_

_Need you by my side._

_Cause every time we touch, I feel the static._

_And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky._

_Can't you hear my heart beat so, I can't let you go,_

_Want you in my life."_

The stage opened in a flurry of movement between Sora and Kairi as the others retreated to the wings in the wake of the dancing teenagers. They were used to this kind of dancing, except now they had a new style to work with being underwater. They swam around and circled each other constantly, and Sora grabbed her hand and twirled Kairi around before they came together as the music softened.

"_Your arms are my castle,"_ Kairi continued as she caressed Sora's cheek with her hand. _"Your heart is my sky._

_They wipe away tears that I cry. (That I cry)_

_The good and the bad times we've been through and more,_

_You make me rise when I fall._

_Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling._

_And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly._

_Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last,_

_Need you by my side._

_Cause every time we touch, I feel the static._

_And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky._

_Can't you hear my heart beat so, I can't let you go,_

_Want you in my life._

_Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling._

_And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly._

_Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last,_

_Need you by my side."_

The music stopped and the lights returned to normal as Sora and Kairi's lips met at the end of the song. Roxas and the others swam back onstage as Sora suddenly dipped Kairi and she held on tighter while their lips remained locked. Roxas cleared his throat but they continued for a moment until Sora returned Kairi to her upright position, if a little breathless from how spectacular the kiss was. A country beat started to play and Sora and Kairi retreated to a safe distance as Roxas and Naminé took center stage and the lights faded again.

"I think this one's about the right mood after that kiss," Roxas said with a smirk as he turned his head and winked at the two currently bashful somebodies behind him.

"_I got chills,_" he began. _"They're multiplying._

_And I'm looooooosing control._

_For the power you're supplying,_

_It's electrifying! (Electrifying, electrifying, electrifying)"_

"_You better shape up, (oo, oo, oo) " _Naminé began, pushing Roxas on the shoulder. _"Cause I need a man. (oo, oo, oo)_

_And my heart is set on you, (and my heart is set on you)_

_You better shape up (oo, oo, oo),_

_You better understand, (oo, oo, oo)_

_To my heart I must be true."_

"_Nothing left," _Roxas added. _"Nothing left for me to do."_

"_You're the one that I want," _they both sang. _"You are the one I want. Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one I need, (the one I need)_

_Oh yes indeed. (yes indeed)"_

"_If you're filled,"_ Naminé began alone in a seductive and sexy tone, _"with affection._

_You're too shy to convey,_

_Meditate in my direction._

_Feel your way."_

"_I better shape up (oo, oo, oo)," _Roxas sang, _"Cause you need a man (oo, oo, oo),"_

"_I need a man," _sang Naminé,_ "who can keep me satisfied. (Who can keep me satisfied)"_

"_I better shape up (oo, oo, oo), if I'm gonna prove (oo, oo, oo)."_

"_You better prove, that my faith is justified."_

"_Are you sure?" _Roxas asked before they both sang together again.

"_Yes I'm sure down deep inside._

_You're the one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one I need, (the one I need),_

_Oh yes indeed. (yes indeed)_

_You're the one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one I need, (the one I need),_

_Oh yes indeed. (yes indeed)_

_You're the one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one that I want, you are the one I want._

_Oo, oo, oo, honey._

_The one I need, (the one I need),_

_Oh yes indeed. (yes indeed)"_

He and Naminé then kissed when they were finished to rambunctious applause and whistles, and theirs was even more spectacular than Sora and Kairi's and lasted longer. And when they surfaced, Naminé was completely breathless and swooning over Roxas' shoulder as Sora and Kairi returned to do back up noises for the next song.

"Let's jazz it up a little," Roxas said as the drums played a quick shot before there came a blast of sound from trumpets. The volume fell sharply after the trumpet blast and all that could be heard was the base, trumpets, and the keyblade trio snapping their fingers as Roxas grabbed the microphone.

"_Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance," _he started with a twinkle in his eyes as the crowd began to cheer and snap along. _"With the stars up above in your eyes._

_A fantabulous night to make romance,_

'_neath the cover of October skies._

_And all the leaves on the trees are falling,_

_To the sound of the breezes that blow._

_And I'm trying to please to the calling,_

_Of your heart-strings that play soft and low._

_And all the night's magic, seems to whisper and hush,_

_And all the soft moonlight, seems to shine, in your blush!_

_Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?_

_Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?_

_Well I wanna make love to you tonight,_

_I can't wait 'till the morning has come._

_And I know that the time is just right,_

_And straight into my arms you will run._

_And when you come my heart will be waiting,_

_To make sure that you're never alone._

_There and then all my dreams will come true dear,_

_There and then I will make you my own._

_Any time I touch you, you tremble inside,_

_And I know how much you want me that, you can't hide._

_Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?_

_Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?"_

Roxas slowly advanced on Naminé as the instrumental music played and she playfully giggled at him as he bowed slightly before her while moving forwards slowly as Sora and Kairi continued to snap.

"_Well, I wanna make love to you tonight,_

_I can't wait 'till the morning has come._

_And I know that the time is just right,_

_And straight into my arms you will run._

_And when you come my heart will be waiting,_

_To make sure that you're never alone._

_There and then all my dreams will come true dear,_

_There and then I will make you my own._

_Any time I touch you, you tremble inside._

_And I know how much you want me that, you can't hide._

_Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?_

_Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?_

_Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?_

_Can I just make some more romance with you, my love? (My love…)_

_My love… my love._

_I just want one more moondance with you…_

_Yes I do…"_

The lights came back on to grand applause and Roxas and Naminé shared another kiss. It wasn't as passionate as the previous one, but it still got the audience going, hungry for more love onstage. Roxas looked at Sora for a moment as he gently removed his lips from Naminé before speaking out into the microphone again.

"You all ready for Sora to sing his song?" he asked. The crowd cheered in approval and Roxas shook his head and placed a hand to his ear. "I can't hear you!" A thunderclap rose from a private booth as Triton joined in the applause. He seemed to be rather enjoying himself at this concert that was mostly for the youth anyway. "All right!" Roxas yelled before turning the mic over to Sora. Drums and a keyboard began playing while Sora took several breaths before he began.

"_Well there's no reason to believe, she'd always be there._

_But if you don't put faith in what you believe in,_

_It's getting you nowhere._

_Cause it hurts, you never let go,_

_Don't look down, just look up._

_Cause she's always there to find you, just to remind you._

_Two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_You know we're two hearts, believing in just one mind."_

Sora turned his attention towards Kairi who was wading silently, her cerulean eyes radiating her love for him with all the intensity of a firestorm. Sora continued to gaze at her as he took the mic off the stand and swam up to her.

"_Cause there's no easy way to, to understand it._

_There's so much of my life in her, and it's like I'm blinded._

_And it teaches you to never let go,_

_There's so much love you'll never know._

_She can reach you no matter how far,_

_Wherever you are!_

_Two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_Beating together till the end of time._

_You know we're two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_Together forever till the end of time._

_She knows (she knows),_

_There'll always, be a special place in my heart, for her,_

_She knows, she knows, she knows,_

_Yeah, she knows (she knows),_

_No matter how far apart we are_

_She knows, I'm always right there beside her._

_We're two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_Beating together till the end of time._

_You know we're two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_Together forever till the end of time._

_Two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_Beating together till the end of time._

_You know we're two hearts, believing in just one mind._

_Together forever till the end of time._

Sora ended the song and lightly kissed Kairi's lips for a moment, but she threw her arms around Sora's neck and hung on him as she deepened it with all of her intensity. Max and the others swam back on stage and gently pulled the two lovers apart before spinning them around. The group onstage bowed low to everyone before swimming off and joining the crowd. More singers then came up to the microphones.

"Did you all enjoy the opening act?" a man asked. Kairi smirked and nudged Sora as everyone hollered and whistled. The man onstage smiled warmly at them. "Continuing on the theme already established," he said as a piano began to play softly behind him, "this one goes out to all the lovers in the audience."

"_There's a calm surrender,_

_To the rush of day._

_When the heat of the rolling world,_

_Can be turned away._

_An enchanted moment,_

_And it sees me through._

_It's enough for this restless warrior,_

_Just to be with you._

_And can you feel the love tonight? (Tonight)_

_It is where we are._

_It's enough, for this wide eyed wanderer,_

_That we got this far._

_And can you feel the love tonight? (Tonight)_

_How it's laid to rest._

_It's enough, to make kings and vagabonds,_

_Believe the very best._

_There's a time for everyone,_

_If they only learn,_

_That the twisting kaleidoscope,_

_Moves us all in turn._

_There's a rhyme and reason,_

_To the wild outdoors,_

_When the heart of this starcrossed voyager,_

_Beats in time with yours._

_And can you feel the love tonight? (Tonight)_

_It is where we are._

_It's enough, for this wide eyed wanderer,_

_That we got this far._

_And can you feel the love tonight? (Tonight)_

_How it's laid to rest._

_It's enough, to make kings and vagabonds,_

_Believe the very best._

_It's enough, to make kings and vagabonds,_

_Believe the very best."_

With that song, the love fest ended, as many in the audience were in tears with how beautiful it was. Many jazz, country, and rock songs played after it, the crowd singing along with some of them in appropriate places. But the final rock song burned on in the memories of the group of travelers. It started off with a drum solo, followed by accompanying heavy electric guitar.

"_A flash in the night, a journey through time,_

_The Templars are back on the streets._

_Guarded by prowess and the will to survive,_

_All led by the guiding light._

_Angels of mercy, guardians of time,_

_Shackled and chained to the eternal flame._

_The hammer will slowly arise._

_Heeding the call, one and for all._

_Never surrender, with glory we fall._

_Brothers unite, let's stand up and fight._

_Fulfilling our fate, we are heeding the call._

_One step ahead, revealing the past._

_United, together we stand._

_The call of the thunder, the sign to begin._

_This final crusade we will win!_

_Angels of mercy, our journey must proceed._

_With hearts all filled up with chivalry,_

_The lifeblood that we all need._

_Heeding the call, one and for all._

_Never surrender, with glory we fall._

_Brothers unite, let's stand up and fight._

_Fulfilling our fate, we are heeding the call._

_(Instrumental solo)_

_Oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh_

_Oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh_

_Oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh_

_Oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh_

_(More Instrumental)_

_Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh_

_Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh_

_Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh_

_Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh_

_Heeding the call, one and for all. (Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh)_

_Never surrender, with glory we fall. (Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh)_

_Brothers unite, let's stand up and fight. (Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh)_

_Fulfilling our fate, we are heeding the call. (Ohhh oh oh, oh oh oh oh)_

_Heeding the call, one and for all._

_Never surrender, with glory we fall._

_Brothers unite, let's stand up and fight._

_Fulfilling our fate, we are heeding the call."_

* * *

_And that's the end of the concert. I hope you all enjoyed it._

_Songs used in case you don't know them:_

_I Ran (Bowling For Soup)_

_Everytime We Touch (Cascada)_

_You're The One That I Want (Grease Soundtrack)_

_Moondance (Michael Bublé)_

_Two Hearts (Phil Collins)_

_Can You Feel The Love Tonight? (Sir Elton John)_

_Heeding The Call (Hammerfall)_

_Leave a review, and Happy Canada Day (July 1st) and Independence Day (July 4th) again!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	21. Ashton and Aladdin

_Sora: "Hello again, and welcome to 'The Annals of Darkness: The Beginning'! Shire Folk thanks you all for submitting another hundred reviews and hopes that more are coming."_

_Kairi: "We are also glad to inform you that Shire Folk has decided that he will write a sequel to this story, or possibly two! One short fic that concerns Sora's and my wedding, and another set in the future with our daughter."_

_Riku: "Don't forget Yuffie's and my son."_

_Sora: "Of course Riku, he won't forget your son."_

_Yuffie: "Good, I'd hate to pound him if he did."_

_Shadowy Figure: "Hey are you guys going to introduce me?"_

_Kairi: "No, you'll get introduced in the chapter. Which reminds me, Shire Folk does not own us, Disney, Square Einx, or anything else except his own mastermind plot and OCs."_

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXI: Ashton and Aladdin

Kairi yawned as she walked fully dressed out of her room aboard the _Highwind_ the next morning. They had all been up past two in the morning; the concert had lasted so long, but she could still recall the lyrics of that last song.

_Heeding The Call,_ she thought to herself. _That's what we're doing. Heeding the call the worlds gave us to be their protectors. That's why we have keyblades._ She sighed and turned her head as Sora entered from within his room.

"Sora?" she asked, pulling her keyblade out and giving it a meaningful look. "Don't you ever wish that the keyblade had chosen someone else, so we could live our lives in peace?" Sora turned towards her and gave Kairi a sympathetic look as the Oathkeeper vanished.

"Sometimes," he replied, sympathetically holding her hands in his. "I didn't think so much about it on my first journey, then the thought that I should just give it all up and run away occurred occasionally the last time. But if we give up, and the keyblade chooses others, then they'll have to be the ones to suffer its curse. So we might as well do our duty to the worlds, so others can live in peace without the fate of the universe hanging in the balance on their shoulders." Kairi sighed as Sora began rubbing her shoulder.

"You're right," Kairi said slowly. "But it's still sending _our _lives into danger," she pouted. Sora laughed and Kairi looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"I'm only in danger around you Kai," he laughed. "You were scary when you confronted Jack aboard the _Pearl_." Kairi smirked wickedly as she remembered the deed she had done.

"Would you like a repeat?" she asked dangerously, feigned malice dripping off of her tongue as she slowly advanced on a retreating Sora. "Huh? Keyblade boy?" Sora smiled at her jest and placed his hands in front of him in a defensive stance as he continued to back away.

"No," he said with a laugh as he shook his head. "I'd be much too frightened to insult a princess." Kairi stifled a giggle before leaping forward. Sora yelped and summoned his keyblade but Kairi raised her hand and light shone from her fingertips, momentarily blinding him. She ducked under the black steel of the Oblivion and came up and Sora, planting her lips on his. Sora dropped the Oblivion and Kairi smirked as she broke away before he could see straight.

"But then again," she said wisely, slinking away to the kitchens. "If it hadn't been for the keyblade it might have taken us far longer to get together." Sora was left standing for a moment as Kairi wound past the couch and into the ship's halls. Turning on his heel Sora opened the blast doors, which had been closed for some reason, and walked up the steps to the bridge to find Max snoring on one of the chairs. A wicked grin grew on Sora's face as he contemplated getting revenge on Max for waking him yesterday. Sora silently crept up behind Max, fingers poised and ready for his plan. With a cry Sora leapt forward and grabbed some of Max's hair to give him a noogie. Max yelped in pain as Sora ground his hand into his scalp.

"Wake up Max," Sora taunted as he released him. Max tiredly slugged Sora's shoulder in a friendly manner and rubbed his eyes. "What were you doing sleeping up here with the blast doors closed anyway?" Sora asked with an inquisitive look. Max looked up at him.

"I came up here to look at the stars last night," Max said looking out into space. "I wanted to have a nice peaceful moment before going to bed, and then…" Max laughed exasperatedly. "I'm surprised you and Kairi could sleep through the racket your nobodies were making." Sora gave Max a confused look.

"What racket?" he asked, puzzled. Max nodded.

"Just what I thought," he said humourously. "You remember the song Roxas sang last night right?" he asked in order to dodge the question. Sora nodded.

"Yeah…" he said, still confused.

"Remember the second verse?" Max prodded. Sora screwed up his face as he tried to remember all the lyrics. He opened his mouth and began to sing a cappella.

"_Well I wanna make love to you tonight,_

_I can't wait till the morning has come._

_And I know that the time is just right,_

_And straight into my arms you will run._

_And when you come my heart will be waiting,_

_To make sure that you're never alone._

_There and then all my dreams will come true dear,_

_There and then I will make you my own._

_Any time I touch you, you just tremble inside._

_And I know how much you want me that, you can't hide."_

"I think that was it," Sora said as he looked at Max. Sora began thinking about the lyrics in the verse when it hit him hard. Max looked on as Sora's face fluctuated between shock and pure rage.

"THEY DID WHAT?" he roared, looking savagely towards the cabin. Max nodded solemnly and turned towards the navigation screen.

"Yep," he said slowly. "He 'made her his own'. I had to close the blast doors just to get some quiet since I couldn't exactly go into my room." Max looked up again at Sora to see him fuming, steam coming from his ears and sweat boiling on his face. "Shouldn't you have figured it out?" Max asked nervously. "I mean, you and Kairi share thoughts with them." Sora shook his head, his fists clenching and his jaw set.

"They can block their thoughts from us," he snarled. "We have no privacy, but they do." Max shifted his eyes anxiously towards Sora's arms, shaking with rage.

"Um," Max gulped, quickly looking away from the enraged captain. "Which world Sora?" Sora snapped out of it for a moment and appeared lost.

"Err," he began, caught off guard by the question. "Agrabah," he said after a moment's thought. "Take us to Agrabah." Max nodded and punched it in to the autopilot before rising from his seat.

"Where's Kairi?" he asked, walking past Sora towards the cabin.

"She's in the galley," Sora answered as he began following. "Probably having some breakfast." Max nodded approvingly.

"Breakfast would be good right now," he said, patting his stomach. "I normally wake up and get a midnight snack, but I couldn't because of…"

"Enough," Sora snapped, quickly brushing past him. "I need to talk to Kairi about this." Max stopped as Sora flew past like a gale.

"I guess breakfast will have to wait," he said glumly, and started following along slowly in Sora's wake. When Sora was out of sight, Max quickly ducked into a room where two shadowy figures stood.

Sora ran past the painting of Disney Castle. A wind stirred behind him and the flowers bent towards his figure, already dashing into the kitchen in a rage. Sora looked right to see Kairi in an apron just in front of the stove.

"You're just in time Sora," she said, looking up from the skillet she was standing by. "I was just about to fry up some eggs and…" Sora silenced her with a look and an outstretched hand.

"Not now Kairi," he growled.

"But…" Kairi said, a mixture of confusion and hurt in her eyes. Sora turned his eyes away from her so he wouldn't feel guilty about it.

"ROXAS, NAMINÉ!" Sora bellowed. "In here! NOW!" The nobodies faded in, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"You (yawn) called," Roxas said, scratching his side. Flames sprouted from Sora's eyes as he looked at his nobody.

"Can it Roxas," he snarled. "You and Naminé have a lot of explaining to do."

"Can't this wait Sora?" Naminé asked tiredly, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "We're a little tired to answer you're ramblings right now." Sora flashed her a scowl.

"You two probably are tired," he snapped at her. "After last night especially." Kairi made a tiny step forward towards them all.

"Sora?" she asked, glancing between each member of the triangle that had formed. "What's going on?" Sora rocked between his heels and the balls of his feet.

"Pop quiz Kairi," he said, still glaring intently at Roxas. "What act causes pregnancy?" Kairi's face brightened as she got the answer, before a fell shadow grew upon it.

"You two didn't," she growled, standing next to Sora with a scowl on her face. Roxas and Naminé looked at each other for a moment before they turned back to Sora and Kairi, smiling sheepishly.

"Surprise," Naminé giggled half-heartedly. Kairi's eyes narrowed down on the girl as Max crept in, attempting to tiptoe past them. Roxas and Naminé's heads instantly snapped towards him and Max froze.

"You told us you wouldn't tell!" Roxas hissed.

"I didn't tell," Max refuted. "I let Sora figure it out on his own. Besides, you two robbed me of a better part of my sleep last night with the noises you were making and the image that is now burned forever into my skull!"

"It wasn't our fault you peeked!" Naminé snarled, pupils dilating into cat-like slits.

"So you really did do it!" Kairi shrieked, revolted at their behaviour. She shook her head. "This has to be the most irresponsible thing either of you have done! Even more so than that barrel of C-4! We're only fifteen and have been couples for only ten days and you're already doing that?"

"Technically," Roxas began in defence. "It's been thirteen days if we count Neverland." Sora stepped forward angrily.

"A baker's dozen days or ten," he snapped. "You two are moving ahead way too fast." Naminé placed her hands on her hips and Kairi started to shake her head.

"I can't believe this is happening," Kairi moaned.

"You couldn't tell that this was going to happen?" Naminé asked. Kairi looked up, her blue eyes set hard as steel as she gazed at Naminé.

"Not if you guys keep hiding everything from us," she growled. "Sora and I have all of our thoughts laid bare for either of you to look at on a whim! While you two keep nearly everything you think, say, or do while inside of us a secret."

"We have no inner privacy," Sora added gruffly, holding a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "It's the two of you that get to keep things hidden."

"You could have paid attention to the songs we were singing last night," Naminé said arrogantly.

"Can I say something here?" Max asked, raising his hand. His attempt at gaining attention was met by glares on both sides of the room. Max smiled meekly and withdrew his hand as the argument continued.

"And," Roxas scoffed, his head rising in cocky defiance. "_We_ at least weren't the ones who slept in the same bed."

"That was just a prank you and Sora's dad played on us Roxas!" Kairi snarled.

"The first time," Roxas said with a smirk, "yes. But the second time, _you_ were the one who came to Sora and asked if you could sleep together." If Kairi's face hadn't already been as red as possible from anger it most certainly would have deepened.

"Only to get my mind off of the grief after losing Jack, we were all upset about it!" she argued before adding quietly to herself, "and because I almost died to the kraken, I needed Sora to hold me." She shivered at the memory of the clammy tentacle that kept her writhing underwater and subconsciously rubbed her arm.

"If you say so," Naminé growled, still knowing what Kairi had said. "But who's to say _we_ were even the ones who thought up the idea," she argued viscously as Kairi's head snapped back up. Their somebodies' faces became even more enraged at her comment and turned off of red towards a touch of purple.

"WE HAVE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT!" they yelled in retaliation, the Oathkeeper and Oblivion appearing in their hands.

"Temper, temper," a voice said behind them. The keyblade duo whipped around to see a man of about twenty-four with wavy brown hair wearing a blue cotton shirt and blue jeans standing next to a man holding a sphere cam. Shock filled up Sora and Kairi as they beheld him, knowing him, and understanding what he was saying before he said it. "You two just got Punk'd!" the young man roared. Roxas, Naminé, and Max started breaking out in laughter as the keyblades vanished from Sora and Kairi's hands. _Ashton Kutcher had Punk'd them?_

"Wha-" they stuttered, incoherent. "What?" Sora looked frantically at Kairi as Ashton came forwards and slapped their shoulders.

"You honestly didn't think that your nobodies would have sex did you?" he asked, a smile adorning his face. Sora and Kairi each blushed as they still looked at each other.

"Um…" Sora said, stroking the back of his head, wary of the camera being shoved in their faces. Kairi shrugged and smiled at Sora before they both turned to Ashton.

"I guess you guys really fooled us," Kairi said. They then turned their attention to Roxas and Naminé. "Sorry for yelling at you guys," they apologized. The nobodies waved it off.

"Ah, you don't need to apologize for a Punking coming together," Roxas and Ashton said at the same time. Sora turned away from Roxas and looked at Aston Kutcher, a smile growing on his lips. The knowledge that it was all a prank finally sinking in.

"So," he asked, "just how did you Punk us?" Ashton laughed as he reveled in the keyblade master's presence on camera.

"Well," he explained. "I met Roxas, Naminé, and Max last night during the party in Atlantica. One of my friends was a drummer so he got me in. While you and Kairi were busy with each other, I had this great idea of 'Hey! What if the keyblade master and his princess girlfriend thought that their others had been sleeping with each other?' And they jumped at the opportunity to prank you guys." Sora gave a bout of mock laughter and turned to look at the others.

"It seems like we're always getting pranked these days," Kairi said, leaning against Sora's shoulder and looking at Naminé, a wry smile on her lips. She and Sora looked at each other and Sora gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"At least they're only pranks," Sora said to her. Ashton suddenly turned them around to find the camera uncomfortably close to their faces.

"Go on," Kutcher prodded. "I'm sure you know what to say." The teens quickly looked at each other again before glancing back at the camera.

"I'm Sora," said he.

"And I'm Kairi," said she.

"And we've just been Punk'd." Ashton started walking away with the cam following him.

"There you have it folks," he said. "A pair of celebs Punk'd right here on this live broadcast. And I'm glad they took it so well because," he leant forward and began whispering. "They could probably kill me without even thinking if they wanted to." Sora's face grew stony as he looked at Ashton.

"Did you just say that this was live?" he asked menacingly, the Oblivion appearing in his hand again. Kutcher looked at the blade with fear.

"Gotta run," he said to the camera before booking it to the hangar bay, Sora and Kairi, still in her apron, hot on his and the cameraman's heels.

Little did the two teens know that many of their friends, and a certain enemy of theirs, had been watching…

* * *

"They've slept in the same bed?" Donald asked aloud, looking up at Goofy in the _Vingilot_'s cabin. Goofy looked down at him and shrugged as King Mickey simply sighed, lost in his own thoughts.

"Well," Goofy reasoned. "Kairi did say that she needed Sora to hold her."

"Wait!" Donald quacked. "What did she say before that?" Goofy placed a finger to his chin.

"That they needed to get over the grief of losing," he said slowly before his face fell, "Jack." They removed their hats and Donald sighed in grief. King Mickey shook his head.

"I knew she should have stayed at the castle," he said. "She's already almost died. Sora has a lot of explaining to do when we see them again." Donald looked at his king in frustration.

"WAK! DOES HE HAVE EXPLAINING TO DO?" he spluttered. "We've been keeping their home's destruction and their parents' deaths from them! We're the ones who are going to have to explain everything."

"Your majesty, we should just tell 'em," Goofy said. "Things are getting more dangerous. Prince Alain radioed us that Cossex and Nixion captured Belle last night. And with Captain Sparrow's death I don't know if we can do anything anymore without stopping Maleficent as soon as possible."

"Yeah!" Donald added. "It's better if we're united than divided." King Mickey sat in silence, lost in contemplation of their counsel. Donald and Goofy sat silently, sometimes glancing at each other, but always watching their sovereign for a sign. Suddenly the mouse's head popped up, a fiery resolve burning in his black eyes. He abruptly looked at Donald and Goofy and they snapped to attention.

"Normally I'd be angry at the both of you for challenging my decisions," he said. "But in this case you're both right. Going around and sealing keyholes is only a precaution in case Maleficent does attain the full powers of darkness. But the stars are already winking out, and we can't do anything to save them unless we stop the cause. Donald!" The duck saluted.

"Your Majesty," he quacked.

"Set a course for Disney Castle," Mickey ordered. "We can get a better signal to the _Highwind_ from there, and I want to see my wife again before we try this." Donald ran off to the bridge and Mickey turned to Goofy. "When we arrive," Mickey said. "I want you to gather the knights. We're going to assault the Castle that Never Was with everything we have. We'll also need to put out a call to the Radiant Garden and Twilight Town, and any other world we know with decent fighters. The power of the keyblade is great," he said quietly as he turned to look out into space. "But I fear it won't be enough to win this battle. Maleficent is an enemy of all the worlds, and its going to take all of us to stop her." Donald re-entered from the bridge and came to attention, saluting.

"We'll be in Disney Castle tomorrow night if we give everything we have to the engines," he reported. Mickey nodded.

"See to it Donald," he ordered before turning his back on them. "I'll be in the training simulator if you need me."

* * *

Maleficent smiled and cackled in front of a shadowy host of assembled villains that she had called as she looked at the screen that faded into darkness.

"So," she laughed. "The keyblade master and the last princess are in love. This is even more intriguing and delightful."

"Excellent," a woman's voice said. "Then she'll be completely crushed when we turn him into a heartless."

"What of his nobody?" an entity of enormous power asked. "Will he emerge to fight when Sora has become a heartless again?"

"The boy Roxas does not matter," a high-pitched voice countered. "With Sora out of the picture he is only half as strong as either of them when together."

"I tell yah," the voice of Hades added. "With the keybladers out of the way, I'll finally be able to get rid of wonder boy and that old goat." Hades then looked around at the shadowy figures present. "You know babe?" he asked, inclining his head towards Maleficent. "I remember in the old days when there used to be about six of us at these meetings you held. Now what is it? You, him, her, a disembodied voice, and me? I think you're losing your touch." Maleficent turned to her longtime ally, enraged.

"Silence fool!" she shouted. Hades backed away slightly as the crow that sat on Maleficent's shoulder cawed at him. "They were all useless fools! Sora was able to dispatch each one of them. But you three," she said, looking at the two other people in the room. "You are the pinnacle of evil, as soon as we open Kingdom Hearts and command the massive army inside of it as well as the forces I already have, I shall join you my friends, and together we will conquer not only your worlds, but all of them!"

"My world already is mine," the woman said. "The only thing I have to worry about is a prophecy."

"And my world will soon fall to my power as soon as I'm controlling those experiments," the high voice said before the entity spoke up.

"Mine almost fell to my own master's power before, and at my own power," it said, a note of sheer anger in its voice. "But hope always came. Now, with your help Maleficent, we will crush that hope." Maleficent smiled and began cackling.

From the other side of the door, PJ crept away.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Max beamed off of the _Highwind_ in front of the gates of Agrabah. They only needed to look around for a brief moment to identify one thing, the place was busy. Lines of camels and elephants were going in through the gate as they passed by the lone guard. Kairi and Max looked at him inquiringly and Sora shrugged before walking up to the guard.

"What's all the commotion?" he asked, looking at some of the people filing in with the animals. The guard turned his nose up at Sora.

"Our princess is to wed," he said. "To a lowly street rat!" A puff of blue and purple smoke suddenly appeared in front of the guard and a blue figure appeared from within.

"Not a street rat man!" Genie cried as he slapped the guard on the back forcefully enough to send him to the ground. "Try, ALADDIN!" Genie flew up in the air and started writing the word 'Aladdin' in smoke from his tail. Sora looked up in joy at seeing his big blue friend again, a wide grin going from ear to ear.

"Genie!" he yelled. Genie looked down to see a tiny Sora waving at him. An instant later Genie had appeared in front of him and enveloped Sora in a bone-crushing hug.

"Sora!" he cried in jubilation, his eyes closed in happiness. "You made it in time for Al's wedding!"

"Ge…nie," Sora struggled to get out. Genie hugged him tighter and placed his cheek against Sora's spiky hair.

"What is it buddy?" he asked.

"You're kind of crushing me," Sora finally managed to say. Genie's eyes opened.

"Oh," he said, releasing the boy. Sora gasped for breath as his feet touched the ground again and Kairi giggled in the background as she approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sora stopped gasping and looked up at her smiling face. Genie looked at Kairi for a moment before looking down at the male teen again. "Sora!" Genie cried anon, patting his back. "You brought a date for the wedding." Suddenly his head shot up again in shock. "Oh I completely forgot to ask you!" He puffed away and appeared before the three of them again in a waiter's tuxedo outfit and a thin French mustache on his face. In his hands rested a pad of paper and a pencil. "Chicken or Sea Bass?" Sora looked up and couldn't suppress a grin.

"I'll take the Sea Bass," he said before looking at Kairi. "What will you have?" She placed a finger to her lip for a second before nodding.

"The fish sounds good," she ordered, "I'll have that." She turned her head to look at Max, who was standing behind them with an anxious look on his face. "Max?"

"First," he said slowly. "I'll be the black sheep and take the chicken. Second, don't we need invitations to go to a wedding?" Genie wrote down their orders before slapping his head.

"What are you asking about invitations for _dude_?" he asked, wagging his head in front of Max. "If it wasn't for you Donald and Sora, a wedding wouldn't even be…" he stopped and looked at Max. "You aren't Goofy are you?" The trio shared a laugh before Max spoke up again.

"I'm his son Max," he said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you Genie." Genie shook it vigorously.

"Family relation to Goofy," he said. "You still don't need an invitation." He turned his head to Kairi. "Sora's girlfriend and fellow princess of heart, you don't need an invitation either. And don't even bother asking where yours is Sora." Sora chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Okay, here's a different question. Where's Aladdin?" Genie stopped and hovered in midair for a second.

* * *

An instant later they had all been poofed into Aladdin's place among the rooftops. Aladdin was crouched down over a wooden box with Abu on his shoulders.

"Hello!" Genie yelled as he instantly grew to an enormous size. "Somebody's going to be late for his own wedding!" Al looked up from the box.

"Hang on Genie," he said, not quite noticing Sora or the others before looking down at the box again. "There's something I need." Genie winked at him.

"I got yah," he said. He poofed again and a large cake and Carpet suddenly appeared as party hats poofed onto everyone's heads and a mug of beer was in one of Carpet's hands and Abu's tail. A very feminine Genie suddenly popped out of the cake and Kairi slapped a hand over Sora's eyes. "It's a bachelor party big boy," he said. Carpet placed a tassel into the foam on his drink and Genie snatched it away from him. "None for you, you're the designated flyer."

"No Genie," Al said, placing a tender finger on the box. "This is for the wedding." He opened it, but what it was Sora couldn't tell.

"That's uh," Genie anxiously noted, "a nice dagger. It's sharp."

"Kairi," Sora moaned through the blackness. "Could you get your hand off of my eyes?" Kairi removed her hand and Sora saw Aladdin, holding an ornate dagger, turn to him.

"Sora," Aladdin said, looking at him. "You've got a new wardrobe, again." Sora looked down at himself, remembering his new outfit, before looking back at Al and smirking. Aladdin shook his head. "I remember the first time I saw you Sora. You looked like just a kid, and then when you came back you were starting to look the part of a hero. Now you look like the teenage hero you are. But I swear, the next time you show up, you're going to be wearing something different again!"

"Hey, what can I say?" he asked. "I like a change of style." Aladdin nodded before looking at Kairi.

"So this is the famous Kairi?" he chuckled. "The same one who got Punk'd with you this morning?" Genie slapped a hand to his head as the others looked at Aladdin in shock.

"Kairi, what are you still doing here?" Genie asked. He snapped his fingers and he and Kairi disappeared in a puff smoke.

* * *

They reappeared in Jasmine's chambers, where she was sitting at a desk with a large mirror on it. Jasmine was even more beautiful than Kairi had remembered, wearing and elegant white wedding dress. Lilacs were set in her raven hair, keeping a pure white cloth in place. Genie cleared his throat and hid Kairi behind him. Jasmine turned to him with a smile on her face.

"Yes Genie?" she asked with a giggle.

"Jas," he said, moving to his left a little. "I have someone here to see you." Genie finished moving and Jasmine gasped in happiness when she saw Kairi.

"Kairi!" she exclaimed in jubilation, running forward and enveloping her in a hug. Kairi smiled and hugged her fellow princess before looking at her.

"So you're getting married," Kairi said in happiness. Jasmine nodded.

"Yes, we're finally getting married. But," she smirked and looked at Kairi. "We haven't slept in the same bed yet." Kairi shook her head slowly.

"How do you guys know about that?" she asked. Jasmine laughed.

"We saw the spherecast this morning," she answered. "So, would you like to be my maid of honor?" Kairi looked up and nodded vigorously.

"Of course," she answered gleefully. "We princesses have to stick together." Jasmine smiled and turned to Genie.

"I'm sure phenomenal cosmic powers can whip up a dress for Kairi," he said, pushing up his arms to leave his hands floating in midair. Kairi stood still and Genie unleashed the magic upon her. Kairi was suddenly garbed in a white dress. A golden hat with a yellow tail spreading from the hat covered up her red hair and golden fabric was intertwined with the white in several places. Jasmine removed the hat from Kairi's brow to reveal her auburn locks again as Genie vanished.

"You look better without the hat," Jasmine explained as Kairi smiled.

* * *

Genie came back and Aladdin turned away from them and sighed. _"There's a party here in Agrabah, and the party's all for me. Just look you guys at where we are, and how our dreams have come to be."_

Jasmine was with Kairi, smiles glowing on their faces. _"There's a party here in Agrabah," _Jasmine sang. _"And I can't believe it's true. After all this waiting here we are, we finally get to say 'I do'."_

"_I never ever had a real family,"_ Aladdin sang.

"_I never ever had a real true friend."_

"_Someone who could just understand me."_

"_Hey! Come on Aladdin!" _Iago burst in. _"This mush has got to end!"_

"_There's a party here in Agrabah," _Genie began singing as he instantly conjured up all manner of party items. _"And it's starting right away."_ He pointed his fingers at them and Aladdin, Sora, and Max all suddenly became dressed in white formal robes.

"_Let's get you dressed, cause you're the star. Come on! It's your wedding day!"_ Genie locked arms with Al, Sora and Max doing so along with Abu and Iago. They took one step forward and fell onto Carpet and started zooming through the streets of Agrabah towards the palace. _"They're finally getting married."_

"_They're finally getting married."_

"_They're finally getting married."_

"_Look at all these presents!"_

"_We're finally getting married."_

"_(Monkey talk for They're finally getting married)."_

"_I'm finally getting married!"_

"_They're finally getting married. At the party,"_ a Genie chorus started singing on the steps to the wedding pavilion as Carpet landed in the pavilion with Al, Abu, Sora, and Max. _"In Agrabah! At the party in Agrabah!"_ Sora smiled at all the happy faces, but most especially at Aladdin's who had the most ecstatic one of all.

"Don't worry Al," Sora said. "You're going to be a great father." Aladdin nodded but remained silent and Sora took the opportunity to look around. Bright banners of all colours hung throughout the hall, streamers were stretched as far as they could be stretched, and flowers of multiple hues and soft fragrances adorned the walls and stairwells.

Aladdin and his two groomsmen waited at the base of the stairs to the altar and Genie suddenly showed up holding a white lily and a pastry.

"Bad news Al," he said. "The boudoirs clash with the cummerbunds." He didn't notice though that he was holding the wrong objects.

"Genie," Max whispered. "Don't you think it's a little late for that?" Genie rounded on the three of them.

"What? What are you trying to say? Out with it!" he suddenly noticed the crowd gathered. "Oh, they're here…" Sora laughed aloud as Genie transformed himself into the White Rabbit from Wonderland and started running down the red carpet. The doors swung open to let him pass and after they swung back Genie had become a trumpeter in formal dress similar to Aladdin's. He let wind his instrument in three ringing blasts. Genie then vanished and three flower girls in lilac dresses started walking down the isle, spreading their flower petals behind them as a small boy with a banner followed. The Sultan was then brought in on his litter and Carpet clapped while Abu cheered him on. The guards brought the litter down and the Sultan walked up to Aladdin, Sora, and Max as they bowed before him. He elbowed Aladdin and chuckled.

"Don't look so solemn boy," he said. "This is a happy day." Genie used his magic and white doves appeared, holding up a white carpet with golden edging. They flew forward, cooing softly, and dropped it at the Sultan's feet. Trumpets sounded, and all turned to see two blue peacocks slowly retracting their tails. Jasmine stood before them all, holding a bouquet of white lilies, and behind her and to Jasmine's left was Kairi. She was more beautiful in Sora's eyes than she had ever been before and he stood smiling at her as they walked up the carpet slowly.

"Wow," Aladdin said and Sora nodded, his eyes only for Kairi. She looked at him and smiled with twinkling eyes as she walked behind Jasmine. Everything turned to soft pink in Sora's eyes except for Kairi's face and he smiled contently. Finally they arrived at the stairway to the altar and Jasmine exchanged a few words with her father before taking Aladdin's hand and ascending. Sora took Kairi's hand and she giggled slightly and their cheeks turned a soft pink before they ascended after Aladdin and Jasmine and stood behind them. The priest came out of the flowers behind the altar and began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved," he said with a smile. "We are gathered here today to witness the union between these two good people, Princess Jasmine and Aladdin in the joyful bond of holy matrimony." The two looked at each other and smiled before the priest continued. "If anyone has any objection to this wedding, speak now or forever hold their peace." Sora and Kairi tightened their lips but a voice spoke up from behind.

"I do." They wheeled around in anger at who would dare interrupt a wedding to see Pete and someone who chilled the very marrow of Sora's bones.

_Cossex!_

_Uh oh!_ Roxas said in Sora's mind as the fear overcame him as well.

"You fiends!" the Sultan roared. "How dare you come here and try to steal my daughter again!"

"Again?" Max asked, bewildered. Aladdin moved to stand protectively in front of Jasmine.

"She already tried to take her away once!" Aladdin snapped, drawing a scimitar that Genie just created and pointing at Cossex. The Nobody smiled and stepped forward, a malicious grin on her face.

"We're taking Jasmine away," she said as silver axes with crimson hafts appeared in her hands. "And you won't stop us this time, MIND CRUSH!"

"NO!" Kairi cried just as Sora and all other except for her and Jasmine dropped to their knees in agony. Kairi raised her hand and a shielding bubble of light surrounded the wedding party. Sora's complexion softened and he stood up, completely healed and protected.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing Kairi on the cheek. She smiled at him as Aladdin and the others stood up.

"I know," she replied softly. The Oathkeeper appeared in her hands as she spoke. "If I'm going to be doomed to keep fighting these guys in a dress," she said. "I can at least fight well." A bead of sweat stared to form on her brow and Sora looked at it inquiringly. Pete burst through the light and Max and Aladdin started to fight him, but Sora and Kairi took no notice.

"Kairi," he asked, placing a hand on her forehead. "What's wrong?" She grimaced at him and looked out at the light bubble.

"I can't keep the shield up much longer," she said. "Using my light drains me more than using regular magic." She shook her head just as Pete barreled towards them. Sora and Kairi leapt back out of his wake and Max came up and tossed a silver charm at Sora. Sora grabbed it and looked at it for a second before a resolve filled his face.

"Kairi," he ordered. "Drop it now." She nodded and the light fizzled away. Sora saw Cossex's smirking face before he tossed the charm into the air. "White Fang!"

A rolling mist filled the minds of everyone present. The mist was rolling through a pine forest in the dead of night. Light from the full moon filtered through it revealing the ground. The soft sound of paws crunching on snow could be heard through the mists. A black figure of a wolf started to form as the sound increased in volume. The figure broke through the mists and ran up a cliff overlooking the forest. White Fang howled as the moon sat behind him, shining down on him and his forest.

White Fang suddenly burst into existence in the chamber next to Sora and the two of them sprinted forward at Cossex. She raised her axes to greet them and White Fang barked loudly as Sora roared in anger. The Oblivion appearing in Sora's hands and he swung it in a circular arc as White fang bit Cossex in the back. She cried in pain and Sora knocked her axes out of her hands. The Oblivion swung around constantly in a blinding flurry against Cossex' front and White Fang kept her pinned in place by ripping at her with his claws. White Fang suddenly howled loudly and Sora pointed the Oblivion in the air. An image of the full moon appeared and its light shone down into the wedding hall as the bright light of the Sun dimmed. Rolling mists filled the floor and White Fang howled again. The mists wrapped themselves around the Oblivion and the blade turned silver for a moment. With a mighty roar Soar pointed his keyblade at Cossex. A powerful silver energy, its front forming inot the shape of a wolf's head and front body, came out and headed straight for the nobody. Cossex threw herself to the side just in time to avoid it. White Fang nodded his head at Sora before vanishing and Cossex fabricated a portal of darkness.

"Pete!" she yelled. "Get in here you oaf!" Pete ran away from where Max and Aladdin had been fighting him with Genie's help and ran through the portal. Cossex turned away from Pete's retreating figure and glared at Sora. She brought her arms above her head and there was a large cracking sound. Sora looked up to see the roof starting to collapse and instantly brought his hands up. A reflega shield formed around everyone and the roof's stonework crashed upon it, cracking and breaking further as they impacted on the shell. The dust settled as the last piece slid off the shell and Sora sighed before crying in agony and grabbing his leg. Cossex withdrew into the portal, one of her axes shining with red blood. The portal closed as everyone ran up to Sora in anxiety. Kairi knelt next to him and looked at the ripped white fabric of the robes he had been in. They were being stained in blood from a deep gash Cossex had struck to his calf. Green tendrils came from her fingers and embedded themselves in the wound. The glow persisted for a moment before fading and Kairi's head fell onto Sora's shoulders, asleep. Sora smiled softly and kissed her forehead.

"Did you two really sleep in the same bed Sora?" Genie asked as Sora laid Kairi down and attempted to stand. He chuckled weakly and plopped back on the broken stairs in a sitting position.

"Is everyone going to know about that?" he asked light-heartedly before looking around at the devastation in dismay. He turned his head to look up to Aladdin. "I'm sorry about your wedding Al," he apologized. Aladdin waved his hand tiredly.

"No need for apology Sora," he sighed. "I'm just sad that she tried to take Jasmine away again."

"When did she come here last time?" Max asked.

"On the twenty-sixth of August," Jasmine answered. "We were inspecting the pavilion and started ordering flowers when she showed up alone. Her mind powers made Aladdin fall weak, but my heart's light protected him." Sora nodded before looking at his sleeping angel.

"The twenty-sixth," he breathed, placing a hand on her cheek. "The same day we admitted we loved one another." Max looked uncomfortably at Sora, who was conjuring a white bandage to wrap around his currently useless leg, before glancing at where the portal had been.

_I should tell him Riku's message,_ he thought. _I'll tell him now._ Max opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Iago flew in from the entrance hall where all the gifts had been and landed on Kairi's knee. Max was about to speak when Iago sighed.

"Look Sora," he said. "It might be best if you guys leave. If that woman shows up again, I don't know what's gonna happen to yah if Kairi's still asleep." Sora smiled and rubbed his fingers through Iago's feathered head.

"Ah Iago," he said warmly. "You do care." In Sora's hands a small circular biscuit appeared. "Iago want a-" he joked, bringing the cracker towards the parrot's beak. Iago's complexion changed from compassion and worry to downright anger.

"Say 'cracker' and I'll bite your finger off!" he snapped. Sora and the others laughed as Iago started ranting and raving.

* * *

_And there we go, another chapter completed and the tension between the two sides rising, all thanks to Ashton Kutcher!_

_Please leave a review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	22. A Hitch

_I'm sorry you all can't review this chapter because I squished the author's note into chapter XVIII. So for reviews of this chapter, just send me a PM along with your guess for the summon charm._

_Disclaimer: (Sniff) I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney, or anything except my plot. Plus, I don't own the movie being played in the fic because that isn't currently out on DVD._

_Warning! Some knowledge of the game of RISK may be required.

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXII: A Hitch

Sora and Max came back up to the Highwind; a splint was on Sora's left leg and Kairi's sleeping figure in his arms. They were out of the formal wedding robes Genie had made for the three of them at Sora's request, but Genie's phenomenal cosmic powers were not up to the task of mending his leg beyond the splint. Sora began limping forward, wincing at every clunk of his left leg when Max placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"What are you doing Sora?" Max asked. Sora grunted and shook Max's hand off of him.

"Getting Kairi to her room," he replied. Max shook his head and quickly stepped in front of Sora to block him.

"Oh no," he said, halting Sora again. "You're going to get yourself off of that leg before you hurt it more than it is." Sora shook his head and Max gave him a warning glare. "You're in no position to argue about this Sora. Don't worry; you just sit down for a moment. I'll put Kairi in her bed and then I can help you to the couch where we can put that leg up on some pillows." Sora stood still for half a moment and Max stretched out his arms.

Do it Sora, Roxas said, that's an order. Sora sighed and gently placed Kairi in Max's arms. They buckled slightly under the weight at first before strengthening and raising Kairi back up. Sora gave Max a look and he nodded in understanding. Roxas popped in behind him and pulled out the Kingdom Key.

"Come on bro," he said, placing his shoulder in Sora's left side, "let's get you to the couch and a nice glass of gingerale." Sora nodded and suffered himself to be led away slowly. Sora suppressed a wince after he had been plopped down on the couch.

Max had just lain Kairi down on her bed when she started stirring. He froze as her blue eyes opened and she looked at him with a confused look.

"Max?" she asked before her eyes widened in fear. She bolted upright in hysteria. "Where's Sora? Is he hurt? Did she take him?" Max chuckled and raised his hands.

"Calm down Kairi," he said. "One question at a time." Max waited for Kairi to take several deep breaths before answering her first question. "First, Sora is in the cabin with Roxas. Second, as you probably remember, Cossex sliced open his calf. You healed it, and he's still going to be in pain for a couple of days but Genie gave him a splint and he may need crutches for a day. He'd be hurting more if I had allowed him to carry you in here. And third, as you're probably guessing, no Cossex did not get him." Kairi smiled. She leaned forward and placed her arms around Max who started sweating furiously.

"What?" he asked, a tinge of red crossing his cheeks and his arms flying away from her. "What are you doing Kairi?" She removed her arms and leant back.

"I was giving you a friendly hug for making sure Sora didn't hurt himself for my sake," she explained before swinging her legs off of the bed. "Come on, let's go see what they're doing." She stood up, before suddenly swaying and placing a hand to her head. Max rushed to her side and just caught her before she fell on her bed. "On second thought," she chuckled, "maybe I should just take a nap for a while." Max nodded and Kairi pulled herself under the blankets just as he left the door. He looked up to see Roxas placing a DVD into the player and walking back to where Sora was sitting with a large cup of gingerale and bucket of popcorn on the couch.

"Kairi's going to take a nap before she comes out to join us," Max said as he vaulted the backside of the couch to plop right in between Sora and Roxas. He placed his hand in the bucket of popcorn and grabbed a handful to Sora's dismay.

"Hey, don't steal the cripple's popcorn!" he retorted happily, drawing a laugh from both Max and Roxas. Max smugly ate his handful of popcorn before looking up at Roxas.

"What movie are we watching?" he asked. Sora and Roxas smiled widely.

"300," they both said at the same time before they all looked at each other.

"THIS IS SPARTA!" they cried together as Roxas pressed 'play' on the remote. Sora sipped on his gingerale as the opening production credits started to roll and glanced at Kairi's closed door. A smile crept on his face and he sighed happily.

"Kairi's birthday is in two days," he said, taking a handful of his already rapidly vanishing popcorn. Max raised his eyebrows slightly as he also grabbed some more popcorn.

"Really?" he asked through a mouthful of the popcorn. He inclined his head slightly towards Sora. "What did you get her?" Roxas smiled and leaned forward to show his grin to Sora.

"I know what he got her," he said slyly.

"Of course you know what I got her Roxas," Sora replied. "You live in my head." Roxas nodded but still looked pointedly at Sora. Max glanced between them before looking back at Sora.

"So what did you get Kairi?" he asked. Sora wolfed down the popcorn in his right hand and placed the gingerale that had been in his left down on the end table next to the couch before leaning as best as he could towards Max without shifting his leg too much. Sora held out his left hand to Max, who was looking intently at it. A white shimmering light filled his hand for a moment and then a three-pointed crown pendant, silver except for a tinge of pink, was sitting in it. Embossed in the centre was a small heart with the word 'Kairi' in the center. Max picked it up and flipped it over and read the message on the back before giving the pendant back to Sora. "She's going to love you for this," he said with a smile. Sora vanished it again.

"We already love each other," he said quietly. "We're just going to appreciate it even more. And I know just where to give it to her." Roxas raised his eyebrows and placed the movie on pause.

"Where?" he asked. Sora smiled and crossed his arms.

"Why should I tell you guys? You three keep pranking us." Roxas started rubbing the back of his head and looked down, dismissing the Kingdom Key so he wouldn't be as noticeable. Max just hung his head sadly. "Why do you guys do that anyway?" Sora asked quietly. He waited in silence for a few seconds before Roxas spoke up.

"Because it's fun," he said. "And it's easy to do it. You two are so touchy when it comes to anything that implies… you know what."

"You have to admit," Max added, reaching for some more popcorn. "Roxas has a point. You and Kairi can barely go for an instant on that topic without becoming angry or embarrassed for some reason." Sora blushed slightly and looked away from them. Roxas raised his eyebrows and looked at his somebody.

"I know Sora," he said. "I know that neither of you think that way. I know that you two aren't doing anything, and that you aren't going to do anything." Roxas got up and kneeled in front of Sora. He placed a transparent hand on his shoulder and looked at him. "And for the record," he added with a smile. "Naminé and I don't think that way either. You guys are just shy." Sora shook his head and Roxas laughed. "I know what you think, you can't hide stuff from me."

"We aren't shy," Sora replied. "Health class got rid of that. It's just that we're fifteen, almost sixteen. Kairi's sixteen in two days and I'm sixteen next month. And we have to save the worlds. We shouldn't be thinking of things like that while Maleficent's out there. That's kind of why we get angry I guess. But about hiding stuff from you," Sora started, looking intently at Roxas, "why do you and Naminé hide your thoughts from us?" Max laughed.

"So you guys don't know the next time you're going to get pranked," he said, swiping Sora's bucket of popcorn and grabbing a large handful. Roxas laughed and went to go sit back down.

"He's mostly right you know," he said. "Plus, you and Kairi wouldn't like to constantly be hearing Naminé and I talk about practically anything, or just the random buzzing when nobody is thinking anything." He sat down and Max and Sora looked at him in wonder. He was still transparent, but when he sat down the couch squished a little under his 'weight'. Roxas looked up at them. "What?"

"You're making a mark," Max said, pointing. Roxas looked and quickly stood up. He watched with fascination as the couch cushions filled back up to their original volume. Shrugging, he sat back down after Max took the remote and pressed play again.

Kairi came in from her room at some point in the movie while the Spartans held the pass of Thermopolai. She had snuggled in next to Sora and Max shifted further down and offered her the small remainder of popcorn. Sora laid an arm across her shoulder and they sat there while Naminé had come out and taken a sitting position against Roxas' legs.

The remainder of the afternoon and night passed swiftly as such. Just the five of them, snacking and watching movies until, one by one, they all succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"One! Two! Three!"

The Sandlot in Twilight Town was a buzz of activity; at least it was to the fourteen teenagers, one man and woman, and a small red dragon that currently occupied it. It was Saturday morning, and as the teens had no school to their enjoyment, they were concentrated on another aspect. Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Hayner, Pence, and Olette were all in the Sandlot with Axel, Mulan, and Mushu. There were others there as well: Charlie, a sixteen-year-old boy with a sleek face, wavy light-blue hair and muscular build dressed in a blue t-shirt of a hue to match his hair and blue jeans. Yazoo, another sixteen-year-old with long silver hair and a pointed nose who wore all black. Jeffery, of fifteen and the only one of dark skin, he had black hair and wore a canary yellow muscle shirt and black shorts. Kia, a girl of fifteen with soft golden- brown hair and green eyes dressed in a brown shirt and brownish-gold skirt. Anar, seventeen with shining blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a golden shirt that shimmered if the light caught it right and shorts of yellow. And his twin brother Isil, who was silver haired like Yazoo, the hair only coming to his neck instead of past his shoulders. His clothes were a milky white yet they seemed to sparkle silver if they were in the shade or the sunlight. The twins were taller than the others, as tall as Axel even, and their faces were fair and jovial. The purpose of their meeting was to train. Tidus had come up with the idea.

"Now block," Mulan ordered. Tidus raised the crystal blue Brotherhood to stop Mulan's descending sword. It glanced off of his blade and Mulan sidestepped away from his rising sword before hitting his side with the flat of her sword. Tidus grunted in pain and mentally cursed before adopting a stance to face her again.

"Remember," Mulan said. "You must be hard as a rock, yet at the same time, swift as the wind." Tidus shook his head in frustration.

"But what does that mean?" he asked in aggravation as he wiped sweat from the afternoon sun off of his brow.

"She means to be strong and unyielding," Axel commented in a break from teaching Pence, Olette, Charlie, and Jeffery how to wield magic, "but at the same time be aware of what's going on around you and move away. Don't just fight with your sword, fight with your body as well. You can always duck better than you can block, got it memorized?" Tidus nodded and waited for Mulan to attack him again while taking in what was going on around him.

"Yee-haw!" Mushu yelled from atop Wakka's orange hair. "You hit that one on the bull's-eye!" Wakka smiled as he caught the Catcher. He had been having target practice with Mushu, Yazu, and Kia. Four boards, about 20 yards away at the other end of the Sandlot were side-by-side. On them were circular rings with a small red circle in the centre. The far left one was filled with holes from Wakka's spiked ball, and the far right was scorched and burnt nearly to a crisp. The one next to Wakka's was riddled full of the arrows from Kia's quiver though a grouping in the centre had developed as Kia knocked another arrow to her bow. While the one next to Mushu's appeared to be Swiss cheese from all the hole's Yazoo's pistol had made, the center no longer existing. He turned his head and saw Hayner and Selphie fighting with Struggle bats, them moving back and forth in a flurry as one dodged, sidestepped, or jumped away. The one who retreated would then always run back into the fray moments later. Anar and Isil were in combat as well, each wielding a broadsword in a manner none of them had though possible only a few hours ago. The sun's light shone on their hair and they laughed as they fought, the joy sparring brought to them was unparalleled by any other sport. Wakka turned his head away and threw his blitzball at his target again.

"Water!" Jeffery yelled with an outstretched palm. From his hand a small stream of water sprayed towards a brick wall. It drenched the wall and Jeffery stood back, panting from the exertion as Olette took a pace and raised her hand.

"Blizzard!" Olette roared. From the center of her hand a large snowflake shot out towards a brick wall. It contacted and broke, the tinkling sounds of the falling ice mixing in with the cracks of ice tendrils forming on the side of the brick as the water froze. Olette stepped back, breathing heavily, and Pence raised his own hand.

"Fire!" he yelled. Flames crackled out of his hand and shot towards Olette's frozen wall. The ice melted away before the fireball struck. It splattered the wall, creating a small hole where it had impacted and small eruptions of fire that drifted down to the ground. Charlie raised his hands to the sky.

"Thunder!" The lighting crackled down from the heavens and struck the wall. Pence, Olette, Jeffery, and Charlie looked at the wall for a moment, before part of it suddenly broke and fell away. They all drew a long, shuddering breath before grinning at each other.

"Not bad," Axel commented. "You four are becoming quite the mage team. Rapid freezing and thawing does wonders. Think strategically since your magic is still growing. Got it memorized?"

They had all been there for hours. Early in the morning Mulan, Mushu, and Axel had kicked the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee (Seifer's gang) out of the Sandlot so they could prepare it for training. During the school week, Hayner and Tidus had been discussing Sora's adventures with Axel and Mulan, as well as the current situation of the worlds.

"We're all in trouble if Maleficent gets the power of Kingdom Hearts and makes Sora a heartless," Axel had said. "Deep trouble, got it memorized?" Tidus had gotten it memorized, and so the idea that they should train to fight, really fight, so that they could help their friends in the trials that would come, had become rooted into their heads. And the desire to avenge the fallen of the Islands' had been a main component as well. The idea had tricked throughout the school, but these were the only ones to arrive at the scheduled time and place. Of all the Islanders who had survived the perils though, Jeffery, Anar, Isil, and Kia were the only ones who did wish to continue fighting. The others were reportedly too horrified at what had happened before and did not want to put their lives in danger again, no matter the argument presented, plus their parents forbid it but hey, what can you do?

Tidus parried a strike Mulan was making for his head, and like before, her attack was only a feint and she sidestepped his crystal sword. Tidus saw it coming though and twirled himself around to dodge her attack before arching the Brotherhood back over his shoulder. His sword fell on hers with a resounding clang and Mulan's sword was brought uselessly down. Acting on instinct, Tidus used his moment of opportunity to hook her blade into the notch in his sword before kicking Mulan square in the chest. She lost her grip on the sword and it clattered to the ground while she held her chest for a moment. Tidus' eyes widened as the realization of what he'd just done ran through his mind. The Brotherhood fell to the ground and he rushed forward. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched.

"Mulan are you okay?" Tidus asked. Mulan straightened up, a grin wide on her face.

"Very good Tidus," she said. "You're learning quickly."

_

* * *

_Sora, Kairi, and Max beamed down into Halloween Town. Sora still had the splint on his left leg, but it had healed enough over the night that he didn't need crutches as Max had thought. Sora's jacket and jeans had morphed into his regular black vampire outfit with the small pumpkin hat on the side of his head. He looked around to see Kairi, dressed in black robes with a pointed black witch's hat pulled down over one eye, and Max was zombified like Goofy, iron bolts through his neck. Sora limped forward and Kairi grabbed his arm. They looked at each other and nodded in understanding before the three of them started up the cobblestone path lined with graves towards the center of town and singing reached their ears.

"_Boys and girls of every age,_

_Wouldn't you like to see something strange?_

_Come with us and you will see,_

_This our town of Halloween._

_This is Halloween. This is Halloween._

_Pumpkins scream in the dead of night._

_This is Halloween, everybody make a scene,_

Trick or Treat 'till the neighbor's gonna die of fright."

Sora laughed as they entered amidst the singing choir of Halloween Town. Kairi and Max looked around uneasily at them; some did seem scary with fingers like snakes and spiders in their hair.

"These more friends of yours Sora?" Max asked. Sora nodded his head while he looked through the crowd, trying to find Jack Skellington.

"It doesn't seem as if there are any heartless here," Kairi said as she looked around as well, not quite sure what she was looking for.

"_This is Halloween,_

_Red and black, and slightly green._

_Aren't you scared?_

_Well that's just fine._

_Say it once, say it twice,_

_Take your chance and roll the dice._

_Ride with the moon in the dead of night."_

Sora's face beamed as he caught sight of a person that he knew. A woman with blue-gray skin that looked as if she had been sewn together had just entered his vision.

"Sally!" Sora hailed. She heard her name and looked in the direction the voice had spoken from. A smile grew on her face and she ran towards him.

"Sora," she greeted. "How are you?" Sora grinned at her and inclined his head towards his leg.

"I've been in better shape," he replied before glancing at Kairi. "But I haven't been happier." She caught his glance and gave him a quick hug. Sally smiled at them happily.

"So you found her," she noted. They both nodded at Sally with smiles on their faces.

"He could have been a little more careful though," Kairi berated in a friendly way. "Cossex is a little too much for even the great Sora to handle alone." She gave him an affectionate whack on the head and Sora gave her a cheesy smile in return.

"At least I know I have you to watch my back Kai," he replied before turning his attention back to Sally. "Hey Sally, do you know where Jack is?" She nodded brightly.

"Yes," she answered. "Jack has some new ideas for this year's Halloween, and he went to get Sandy Claws' blessing." Sora nodded and quickly turned away. "Sora wait." He turned back around as Sally pulled a small silver charm out. "I found this the other day," she said. "It looks like one of those things I've seen you use when you fight the heartless, so I thought you could use it more than I could." Sora nodded and Sally dropped it in his outstretched palm. The picture on the charm was of a dragon of some sort.

"Thanks Sally," Sora said as he placed the summon charm in his pocket. He then turned away again from her. "Come on," he said. "I know the way." Kairi held her grip on his arm to support him and Max followed. Dolefully unaware of where they were going.

"Be careful Sora," he said when they walked into a dead wood. "And where are we going?" Sora just smiled and led them to the base of a tree where a large door in the shape of a Christmas tree was. Max and Kairi stopped and stared at the door as Sora limped forward on his own and opened it. A cool breeze wafted out of the open door and small snowflakes drifted out. Sora bowed slightly and gestured with his left hand into to open door.

"Ladies first," he laughed. Kairi placed a hand on her hips and readjusted her witch's hat so both of her blue eyes were visible.

"As a princess, I order you to go first Sora." He laughed at her and lifted his left leg off of the ground.

"Okay," he joked, "but I may already be gone to the workshop by the time you guys follow." Without further ado or complaint, Sora leapt down into the black abyss. Kairi and Max glanced at each other before they both ran forward and jumped down.

Kairi landed with a crunch onto something soft, cold, and white. She lifted her head and wiped some of the snow off of her black robes and hat as she stood up. She could see Sora gliding over the snow towards a large red building in the distance. Hastening into a run she ran after him, not paying heed to the small little elves bustling around in green and red. _Wow, he's fast,_ she thought as she bolted after him, Max just behind her. The finally caught him, short of breath, just as they ran past a carousel in the middle of a town square. Sora turned and smiled at the panting Kairi and Max, hands behind his head.

"What kept yah?" he asked, opening the door. Kairi and Max grimaced and followed him in. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw a jolly old man with a great white beard and a large tummy that shook like a bowl full of jelly when he laughed. _Santa Claus!_ He looked up at them and smiled when they entered. A large skeleton man was standing there as well and had been having a conversation with Santa before he looked up, or down, at the trio.

"Sora!" he exclaimed in jubilation, taking two long strides forward and lifting him up. Santa laughed and looked instead at the two others in the room.

"Have you come to see if you're on my naughty or nice list?" he asked politely. Sora grinned at Kairi from Jack's embrace.

"Told you he was real Kairi," he said. Kairi smirked at him as Jack put him down.

"Unlike Riku," she said. "I didn't explicitly say that I did or did not believe in Santa Claus." Santa nodded.

"Yes Kairi," he said. "You never said yea or nay, but you always believed, and that's what counts." He dropped his gaze and looked at his lists. "Yes here you are, right where you should be. Neither of you have managed to worm your way onto the 'naughty' list." Sora and Kairi blushed and looked at him.

"You," Sora said bashfully, "know about that, huh?" Jack raised his arms in a flourish.

"Sora everyone knows about it!" he said. "And actually that spherecast had given me some ideas fro this year's Halloween. Which is why I'm down here right now." Santa shook his head tiredly.

"Yes Jack, I'm sure all the children are going to be scared to a new degree of fright from whatever it is you have planned."

"Good," Jack replied. "Because I was thinking of-"

"Jack," Max interjected. "Don't you need to be getting back to Sally?" Jack's face lightened as if he'd just forgotten something and quickly dashed out of the room. Santa chuckled and looked at Max before glancing down at his list.

"You're on the good list too this year Max," he said. "Although recently you have been slipping." Max grinned and laughed a little before Santa addressed Kairi again. "It's your birthday tomorrow Kairi, isn't it? You'll be sixteen." She grinned and nodded at him.

"Yes sir," she replied, not that sure of what to say in front of Santa Claus.

"I know I don't give out birthday presents," Santa said. "But what would you like for Christmas?" Kairi glanced at Sora and stepped towards him.

"I think," she said slowly. "That Sora and I would just like a nice day of peace together. Out of the minds of Maleficent and Nixion and Pete," she glanced down at the bandage on Sora's leg and her gaze hardened. "And especially Cossex," she finished. Sora raised her chin with his hand and their blue eyes slowly met.

"With maybe," Sora added, twinkling orbs dazzling Kairi. "A little snow." Santa nodded and smiled at them before glancing above their heads.

"Mistletoe," he pointed out. The two looked up and saw the green and white plant. Their gaze met again after a moment and their lips met. Santa smiled warmly at the two young lovers in his workshop as they slowly kept kissing.

"If only there was a little more love in the worlds," he said quietly.

* * *

Riku, Yuffie, Leon, Cid, Merlin, and Aerith were all sitting quietly in Merlin's house around a table. On that table was a game board and the players were loosely divided into three teams. Riku and Yuffie were steadfast allies, Leon and Aerith were trustworthy of each other, as for Cid and Merlin well, even though they had technically allied with each other to keep themselves alive in this game, no one was ever really sure if they bothered to follow the rules of the unofficial treaties they had made with all the petty squabbles and skirmishes they had between each other.

Oh, and the game, RISK. With their own house rules of course. Yuffie and Riku held onto North America and Europe, respectively, Riku referring to his continent as 'Fortress Europe'. Aerith and Leon held sway over South America and Africa, and Cid and Merlin, well, it continually swayed as to who had more or less of Asia but Merlin maintained a firm grip on Australia and Japan steadfastly belonged to the pilot.

Riku looked down at the board, he was black, and Europe was completely filled with his soldiers. He observed his borders and saw that Cid wasn't paying attention to his defences on the border between Afghanistan and the Ukraine. Now it was Riku's turn, and he called for the attack after placing down reinforcing troops. On the attack was the strength of fourteen armies, and on the defence, three. Cid grabbed one defence die as opposed to two and rolled as Riku rolled his attacking dice. Cid's roll was a five, and Riku's best was a four. Riku removed one of his armies and prepared to attack again. Cid's eyes hardened in resignation before he called a retreat. He split up the three armies and sent them each to one of his adjacent territories. Riku moved in and ended his attack phase. He picked up a conquest card and used his free move to pull out all but one of the armies out of the territory he had just conquered. In his hands he now held a card trick, ready on his next turn to put them in for an extra sixteen armies. Yuffie scratched her head at Riku's move.

"What is it? I don't get it." Merlin stroked his beard and Leon sighed.

"He only made the move to get a card and weaken Cid," Leon explained.

"But Cid didn't lose any armies," Yuffie said.

"This is man talk," Cid retaliated.

"Sexist!" Yuffie cried, standing up and pointing at Cid. "Sexist!" Riku laughed and pulled on Yuffie to sit down. He had been enjoying life here at the Radiant Garden since he had arrived with Yuffie. And while Squall, or Leon, and Cid had given him and Yuffie a hard time for a while, it had dimmed down as Riku proved his worth by helping to repair the wall. Yuffie sat down, pouting at Cid.

"Well, it's my turn," she said as she placed her reinforcements down in Alaska. "And because of that comment," she continued, her voice dripping with malice. "I think I'll attack Kamchatka from Alaska. Get ready for another invasion Cid." He grunted and grabbed the two black defender's dice again while Yuffie swiped the three attacker's dice. She was confident in her ability to win, a total of fifteen armies to attack while leaving one behind compared to Cid's six armies. They rolled, and Cid surprised them with double sixes. Yuffie grimaced and removed two of her attacking armies, but it was nothing to worry about, just a speed bump. They rolled again, and Cid won again with another six and a five. Another roll, exchange of one army. Cid and all except for Riku were smiling at her misfortune. She had been reduced to ten while Cid had lost one. Yuffie pressed her attack again and she lost on both dice. She called it off, having lost numerical superiority, and threw a friendly look of loathing at Cid. Riku shifted his gaze at the board nervously. If Cid actually had any substantial amount of reinforcements to place down, he could strike at Alaska in a few turns and proceed to conquer North America and subsequently Europe.

It was Cid's turn, and he did something that Riku did not expect. He turned in a card trick for sixteen armies and placed them all down with the reinforcements normally received on the Ural Mountains. The pilot grinned and grabbed the three attacker's dice.

"Show's over kid," he said to Riku. "Time to fly back from the Ukraine." Riku grabbed his defending dice and rolled.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Max beamed down into the Pride Lands the next morning and looked themselves over thanks to Sora's magic. Sora was once again a lion cub, his black fur and spiky brown mane once again present while his crown pendant hung about his neck as always. The white bandage was still on his left hind leg, but it had healed enough over the previous day and nights so he could walk comfortably on it, with a slight limp. Kairi was also a lion cub, rosy red fur that went so well with her blue eyes all over her body and a white belly. Max had once again not followed the example of his father and had become a black-furred wolf instead of a tortoise.

Sora looked around slowly, they had shown up in the rocky wildebeest valley that led away from the Pride Lands towards the wastelands, and eventually, the jungle and oasis. The hot sun baked down on them, heat reflecting off the golden rocks all around. Kairi's voice suddenly caught his attention and he turned to look at her.

"Sora," she had said. "How do we move around?" Sora chuckled and raised his left front leg.

"Just one foot," he started to say, placing that leg down while at the same time raising up the hind leg. "In front of the other." He demonstrated for a few moments before adding. "You're brains have also changed slightly so it'll be easier to cope with suddenly having four legs." Kairi and Max nodded and started walking around for a few minutes, tripping up occasionally, but after a while they had gotten used to it.

"Good job," Sora commented with a smile. Just then another voice spoke up from behind them.

"Well, if it isn't the keyblade brat and his little sidekicks." They knew that voice, and Sora turned to see a large lion with blackish-gray fur and a black mane over a pasty pug face. Pete. Pete's eyes strayed to Sora's injured leg and he couldn't suppress a smile. "Well, it seems to me that the master of the keyblade isn't such a master after all, getting hurt and all."

"What do you want Pete?" Kairi growled, looking positively dangerous in as a lion. Pete laughed at her.

"Go home missy before you get yourself hurt!" he laughed. "Or maybe you would if you had a home to go home to." Sora and Kairi dropped their aggression for a moment and glanced at each other in confusion before turning back to Pete, snarling and curling their upper lip to reveal pointed carnivorous teeth.

"Stop trying to psych us out!" Sora ordered. "It's not going to work. It didn't work for the Organization, and it won't work for you!"

"Yeah!" Max added. "Leave us alone." Pete roared a laugh.

"Okay fine, I'll leave you alone, for now." He turned around and started to walk away when he turned his head around. A sphere of darkness grew wide in front of them just as he started to speak. "But I have a feeling my little friend here won't." Pete bolted out of the way as the sphere subsided to reveal a large heartless beast. Its fur was black as pitch, far blacker than Max's current fur. His fur was coloured black, while the heartless' fur was more completely devoid of all colour. It towered above them all at roughly seven and a half feet, its glowing yellow eyes glaring down on them from underneath an iron helm with the heartless symbol embossed upon it. Its face hideously resembled a pit bull and small pointed ears peeped up from the sides of the iron helm. In its feral claws it held a long black sword and a black iron buckler embossed with the heartless symbol again on the center. Sora, Kairi, and Max looked up at it in fear as they slowly backed away from it.

"'Little'?" Max squeaked like a mouse as the heartless took a lumbering step towards them. "There's nothing little about that." He swung his head and grasped the Defender in his teeth while the Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in Sora and Kairi's mouths.

They stopped backing away and stood their ground for a moment in a v-shape before Sora leapt up at the heartless. The heartless roared and swung its sword down at him and Sora twitched his neck to bring the Oblivion against his foe's blade. The two black blades met and the heartless recoiled his sword and bashed Sora in the side with his shield. Silently Kairi had snuck slightly around and raised her keyblade at the heartless. Just as it had moved its shield to attack Sora she released a fireball from the Oathkeeper's tip. The projectile burned through the fur into the heartless' black hide and it snarled in pain before turning its attention onto Kairi. It snarled at her and advanced menacingly as Kairi began to back away. It attacked her with its sword and Kairi dodged both blows before a block sent her reeling onto her back. Max suddenly leapt up and hacked at its sword arm before it could strike at Kairi's weakened state. The heartless then turned on him, small wisps of darkness leaking out from the burn and sword strike. Max sidestepped a heavy blow that the heartless had made for him and dashed forward as the sword stuck in the rock. He leapt into the air and aimed an attack for the unprotected jugular but his sword glanced off of the shield that was raised in time to defend itself. Max flew over the top of its helmeted head and swiped his sword just into the shoulder of the heartless. The heartless ripped its sword out of the rock and was about to turn around to attack Max again when lightning struck him from his side. Sora had recovered and helped Kairi up and together they were casting thundaga on the right side of the heartless. It quickly turned around during the electrocution and blocked further lightning with its shield. Sora and Kairi backed away slowly, their lightning being absorbed by the heartless symbol on the shield, which started glowing.

"What kind of heartless is this?" Sora asked after tossing the Oblivion out of his mouth like a boomerang. It clanged against the glowing insignia and the heartless roared as Sora summoned his keyblade back. The insignia suddenly shot out a large charge of lightning, the electricity crackling as it streamed towards the keyblade wielding lions. They both pulled up a reflega shield just before it struck and the electricity exploded in a fiery conflagration. Dust and chunks of rock spewed up from the ground as the shields dropped and the blue magical after orbs appeared around them and exploded in a wide spread. The heartless howled in pain as more wisps of darkness came out of fresh magical wounds but it still stood. Max forsook his sword and gave a howl as he charged at the exposed back of the creature. The heartless had started to turn and was about to attack Max with its sword when a small lion cub with white fur, a spiky blonde mane, and a four-pointed pendant hanging on his neck came in and blocked the strike with the Sleeping Lion, which rested in his mouth. The heartless then tried the same trick he had done to Sora and tried to bash both Max and Roxas away but Roxas struck at the shield with the Fenrir that resided in his coiled tail. Max was now clear and sank his fangs into the flesh of the heartless' side. It roared once again in agony and viciously shook, trying to dislodge Max as Roxas dropped down to the ground. Sora and Kairi ran forward and leapt at its back to strike a finishing blow against it, but while the heartless kept shaking to try and get Max off it whirled around and its black shield contacted with Sora and Kairi just as Max was finally flung away. Max was sent careening straight into the cliff walls and the dynamic duo smashed into the ground a few feet away. They struggled to get up, breathing heavily and wincing slightly as the heartless began to duel with Roxas.

"Time for another approach," Kairi panted as she summoned her fallen keyblade into her tail's grasp. A small ball of light formed on the tip and she shot it towards the heartless. It raised its shield to block an attack of Roxas' and it unknowingly blocked the ball of her light as well. But something happened that it did not intend, the light exploded on the shield in a white blast and sent the broken shield careening out of its grasp. All looked in surprise, including Max as he just got up, and Pete who had returned to watch the fight. Kairi smirked and readied another projectile. "Go get 'im Sora," she ordered. "I'll give you some cover fire." Sora nodded and dashed forward with all speed possible, despite the wounded leg that was now causing him some grief. Another shot sped overhead and exploded on contact with the heartless' sword, which broke in two. Sora spun around with the Oblivion in his mouth and cleaved off the heartless' legs. They vanished in puffs of black smoke as the beast roared in agony. Another shot contacted with its head and it howled in pain as an ear was blown off in the explosion on its helmet. Roxas leapt up and sliced off its sword arm as Max finally ran back with the Defender once again in his mouth to attack its side. Wisps of smoke started leaking from it everywhere before Sora dove in. The heartless tried to rake its one remaining claw, which used to hold the now broken and discarded shield, against Sora's back but one last shot of light hit the hand and, instead of exploding, just ripped right through it as if it did not exist. And indeed, it no longer existed. Sora continued his lunge as the light passed by just in front of him and he embedded the Oblivion right where the heart should have been. The heartless gave one last pained moan before vanishing into blackness, a pink heart rising into the sky. Sora and the others panted heavily for a few moments before glancing at each other, sharing happy smiles. They all whipped around as Kairi cried out in pain.

Pete had barreled over just as the fight was ending and had body slammed Kairi into the cliff-face, where at the bottom she was now lying, unconscious.

"PETE!" Sora roared in anger, adrenaline coursing through his veins and masking the pain that had resurfaced in his leg.

"Those Charr heartless are something aren't they?" Pete replied. "We have an army of them under our control, and as soon as I take your princess here away," he looked down at Kairi's unconscious form, "we'll have all seven. And then, we're gonna conquer all the worlds and create an empire with the heartless stored in that big old moon."

"If you lay," Sora snarled menacingly, "one paw on Kairi's fur… I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

"And I'll help!" Roxas added.

"Me too!" Max said. Pete just laughed at them and Sora began dashing forward, leading on his friends. He suddenly quailed as Sora approached. There was a fire burning in his eyes and a note in the roar, not a kitten roar as to be expected, but the full-fledged roar even Simba would be proud of that was emanating from Sora's muzzle. Pete quickly leapt out of the way as lightning rained down from the skies around him and took one last look at Kairi before opening a portal and running through it. Max and Roxas growled as the portal closed ad Sora rushed over to Kairi's side. There were minor abrasions on her skin and a small amount of blood in her fur, not much different from Sora or Max's injuries and, like them; there was a small amount of sweat on her head. A Hi-potion appeared in Sora's mouth and he sprayed its contents on Kairi. The cuts closed and he breathing, which had been slightly ragged, steadied. Sora turned his head upwards and sprayed the potion into the air, creating a soft green mist. He, Max, and Roxas all leapt through it, landing to find that everything had been healed, including the small cut which was all that remained of the wound Cossex had given Sora.

"Max," Sora said as he turned to them. "You and Roxas should go see Simba at Pride Rock. Tell him what has happened and that Kairi and I will be at the Oasis. It's actually the place I had in mind to give Kairi her birthday present," he added slightly coy. They laughed.

"If lions could blush," Roxas said, "I'm sure you would be right now." Sora laughed with them and motioned for them to get going.

"Alright we're leaving," Max chuckled. "We'll join you for Kairi's birthday party when we've got the others." Sora smiled at their retreating figures and arched his back under Kairi. He straightened up again with her steady on his back and began trotting along towards the distant jungle.

* * *

King Mickey awoke from his slumber in Disney Castle around this time. He yawned and stretched in his large, luxurious bed. He looked around him to see his Queen, sleeping peacefully at his side and his heart melted. She had at first wondered anxiously at why they had returned so soon. Surely their quest couldn't be finished yet. Mickey had then explained to her that he had finally seen the reason in her initial counsel, with the help of Donald and Goofy, and that he was going to tell Sora and Kairi about the Islands' destruction, if Max hadn't already disobeyed him and done so already.

Mickey sighed in his bed before getting out and dressing. It was going to be a hard day. Breaking news like this would not be easy for him, Donald, or Goofy. Minnie stirred in the bed as he began walking towards the door. He stopped and looked back.

"I'm going to be there too," she said sadly. "Sora and Kairi are going to need all the support they need." Mickey nodded and opened the door.

"I'm such a fool," was all he said before stepping out. Mickey hung his head down and sighed again, placing a hand to his head.

"Gawrsh your majesty, you look tired. How did you sleep last night?" King Mickey raised his head and looked at the captain of his knights, walking side-by-side with the court magician.

"I don't know Goofy, Donald," Mickey said. "The thought of what happens today kept me from sleeping much." Donald and Goofy removed their hats and drew a ragged breath. Mickey pulled his head up and looked at them both, his sadness temporarily removed from his eyes. "But we mustn't forget the cause of this grief, Maleficent." The two looked back up and donned their hats. "Goofy," King Mickey ordered, "assemble your knights. Donald, contact the Radiant Garden and Twilight Town. We're going to inform them of the plan and have them present when we…" his voice cracked for a moment, "give the news." Donald and Goofy nodded and marched off to do their assigned tasks. Mickey steeled his face and marched down the white-walled, red-carpeted halls until he reached the courtyard. He entered the courtyard to no fanfare. A few brooms were walking around and there were two or three of the gardeners present.

_Will I ever smell these flowers again?_ He asked himself as he stooped slightly to inhale the scent of some golden daffodils. Mickey stood back up and looked around at the bushes, shaped like his friends. He held back a sigh and walked through the hedge castle into the Gummi hangar.

Chip and Dale were bustling about over the hull of his vessel. Mickey cleared his throat and they halted in their work.

"Your Majesty!" Chip hailed, dragging his red-nosed companion away from the ship so they could bow in front of the king.

"You aren't leaving already, are you sir?" Dale asked in the midst of his late bow.

"Not yet," Mickey replied before getting down to business. "How many ships have we got?" Dale started counting on his fingers just as Chip readily gave out the answer.

"At the moment we only have the _Avenger_, your majesty." Mickey nodded and glanced at his ship for a moment before turning his attention back to the chipmunks.

"How many ships are you building?" he asked.

"None at the moment," Dale answered. "Should we be building one?"

"How soon could you get a new ship built?" King Mickey asked, lengthening his list of questions. Dale started counting on his fingers again.

"Well, with current stock of supplies, current labour force, current demand, and without specifications… two weeks." Mickey hardened his gaze on Dale.

"Make it five days at least for each ship," he ordered, producing a scroll from nowhere. "I'm commissioning a whole fleet, and we need it ready ASAP." Chip took the scroll and unsealed it. He and Dale began looking it over and muttering to each other. They finished reading the document after ten minutes of unfurling the scroll and studying schematics and looked up at the monarch.

"We'll get right on it your majesty," Chip piped up.

"But we're going to need some help," Dale added. "We can't build a whole fleet all by ourselves." Mickey nodded.

"You'll get help," he said before looking over his shoulder. "Oh brooms!" he called. At once, fifteen brooms began walking down from the courtyard into the hangar and Mickey turned back to the chipmunks for a moment. "Just tell 'em what to do." King Mickey spun on his heels and marched out of the hangar back into the courtyard.

"Your Majesty!" King Mickey turned to see Goofy leading a group of around twenty dog-knights. "I've assembled the knights sir."

"Good work Goofy," Mickey replied. "We'll be shipping out aboard the _Avenger_ in a few hours, hopefully." The slapping of flat, webbed feet reached their ears and Mickey turned to see Donald running towards him.

"I've got a hold of the Radiant Garden your majesty," the magician quacked. Mickey nodded and proceeded to head to the communications room.

The room was spacious, white walls like the rest of the castle, and a small red carpet as well that covered up part of the tiled marble floor. Against the far end was the communications set-up, a large monitor for the video connection taking up a majority of the space. Underneath it were several monitors and keyboards that dealt with the task of running the machinery. Mickey looked up at the monitor. Riku, Yuffie, and Leon were currently on it, with Cid sitting in front.

"What is it your majesty?" Leon asked before anyone else could speak.

"We're going to tell them," Mickey replied. "And I want all of you to stay on while we tell Sora and Kairi for moral support." Mickey saw Riku look up to the sky and mutter 'finally' under his breath while the others started to form faces of relief. King Mickey raised a hand to stop them. "I'm not finished yet," he said sternly as they started listening again. "After we tell them, we're going to launch an assault on The World That Never Was and we're going to need all the help we can get. So I'm asking you to help us." Riku bared his teeth and pulled out Way to the Dawn as Yuffie pumped her fist. Cid started chewing on his toothpick anxiously and looked up at Leon, who was shaking his head,

"I'm sorry your majesty," he duly replied. "But we can't give you any aid." Riku and Yuffie stopped in shock and started at Leon.

"Why not Squall?" Yuffie pouted. "Maleficent's caused so much pain and sadness. I lost some good pupils and people I was starting to see as friends on Destiny Islands."

"And I _did_ lose some friends," Riku added bitterly. Leon sighed at both of them.

"I'm with both of you," he replied. "I want to go out and fight her too, but it isn't as simple as that. We can't just go to war without parliament's decision." Yuffie's face fell before brightening up.

"Well, convince parliament to allow us to fight then!"

"It's not as simple as that either," Cid started. "Leon and his party need to draw up a bill first, and then it has to go through the House of Commons for three readings and then go through the Senate. After that, it needs to be signed by a member of the monarchy. And since Kairi has only been here for a total of a few days, we haven't had the time to tell her that she needs to sign a whole lot of bills so they can become laws. Which is why the government is kind of a joke at the moment, but it's still protocol."

"Couldn't you just have a Governor General to sign instead of Kairi?" Mickey asked. Leon and Cid nodded.

"We could," Leon said. "It's in the constitution. But Kairi herself would have to choose the Governor General for every five year term."

"Couldn't you go without asking parliament?" Riku interjected. "Fine as a democracy is, it takes forever to get things done in one."

"You did send Yuffie to be one of my representatives immediately after I asked, Leon." King Mickey added.

"I was stepping outside of my bounds then," Leon answered, shaking his head. "And since it was only one person, parliament didn't notice…" He suddenly brought his head up and glanced at Riku and Yuffie. "I think we can give you aid your majesty," he said. "I'll send Yuffie to help fight, or if it would please you, you can recall her to your service. And Riku will go as well if he wishes, I have no jurisdiction to order him to do anything."

"What about the rest of you?" Riku asked.

"We'll come along with any of your folk or our folk that wish to fight," Cid replied. "As soon as we can get that bill brought into action." King Mickey beamed at them.

"Great!" he exclaimed. He turned to Donald and Goofy, who had come up behind him quietly and observed the conversation. They came to attention and saluted him. "Open up a connection to Twilight Town, but leave this one open," he ordered. Donald immediately sprang into action, working on the keyboards. The screen suddenly split in half and the faces of a man with spiky red hair, an oriental woman with shoulder length black hair, and a small red dragon appeared on the screen.

"Mulan?" Goofy asked in a confused voice. "Mushu? Are you sure you got the connection right Donald?" The court magician quacked in indignation.

"Wak! Of course I got it right," he squawked. Axel raised his hand.

"What's up your majesty?" he asked.

"Axel!" King Mickey reprimanded. "Are you in Twilight Town?" He nodded in reply.

"Pretty sure I am," he said looking around. "I spent a lot of time here with Roxas, and this does look like the place."

"Then uh," Goof asked. "How come you and Mushu are there too Mulan?"

"Our world was taken by the heartless," she replied sadly, "and then we woke up here."

"Yeah!" Mushu added fiercely. "We were kicking heartless butt too!"

"So what's the meaning of the call your majesty?" Axel asked, glancing at Leon and those in the Radiant Garden on the other half of the screen.

"We're finally going to tell Sora and Kairi about the destruction of the Islands," Riku said before King Mickey could respond.

"And we want everyone to be online to be there for them when we break the news to 'em," Goofy said. Leon whispered something into Yuffie's ear and she nodded before leaving Merlin's house. Mulan nodded her head.

"Okay," she said, rising from her seat. "I'll go get Hayner, Tidus, and the others. They're probably still in the Sandlot, training." Mulan left and Mickey raised an eyebrow at Axel.

"Training?" Axel laughed.

"It was all Tidus and Hayner's idea," he replied. "They wormed the situation out of me and decided that Sora had fought alone long enough. So we have fourteen collective teenagers from surviving Islanders and citizens of Twilight Town training their hearts out so they can help fight Maleficent." Riku nodded smugly.

"We're slowly building up an army," he said before something came to his mind and he hung his head. "I wonder how many will survive…"

"They all will Riku," Yuffie said as she reentered with Aerith, Merlin, and the Gullwings. Queen Minnie walked into the chamber with her lady in waiting, Daisy Duck, as well from behind the Disney Castle group. They waited in silence for roughly twenty minutes until Mulan and Mushu came back with the group of fourteen.

"Hey Riku," Tidus said in greeting. "Good to see that you're well." Riku smiled at the slightly younger youth.

"I hear that you're doing okay as well," he replied. "Training to fight heartless and nobodies even after you're safe."

"Well it is one way to see all the other worlds yah?" Wakka said, looking at the screen.

"Hiya Miss Yuffie!" Selphie squealed. Yuffie giggled slightly and looked warmly at the girl.

"It's just Yuffie, Selphie," she replied. Selphie stifled a giggle as she remembered.

"Well then," Cid began. "If everyone's here, what do you say we break it to them nice and easy?"

"How can you say 'your parents are dead and Destiny Islands have been destroyed,' nice and easy?" Anar retorted.

"You can't kid," Cid retaliated. "Get off my back."

"Maybe I should tell them," Riku said quietly. "I'm the one who failed them."

"No Riku," Yuffie said sternly. "You aren't the only one at fault."

"We all were," Jeffery said. Isil hung and shook his head.

"If I hadn't lost my head right at the end there," he said shakily. "Maybe they wouldn't have died." Anar placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"It was not our fault at all actually," Kia said, shaking some of her golden-brown hair out of her eyes. "It's Cossex's fault."

"Or more indirectly," Olette added angrily, "Maleficent's."

"That's right," Queen Minnie said. "She's been making evil plots for years, and this hurt is the most painful she's done yet."

"Donald!" Daisy barked. "Get a connection to the _Highwind_ right now!" Donald quailed in front of his sweetheart and immediately set to work as everyone assembled laughed slightly as the duck's reaction.

It took him a few minutes to locate the _Highwind_'s signal, but when he did he instantly brought it up. "I found them!" he exclaimed. "Hailing the _Highwind_, this is Disney Castle on video channel. Come in _Highwind_." All waited with baited breath for a minute before Donald repeated the message. "Hailing the _Highwind_," he repeated in slight impatience, "this is Disney Castle on video channel. Come in _Highwind_." They waited for another moment before the screen changed from being split halfway to having three triangles.

Max appeared on the third triangle that had caused the switch. He was panting heavily, a cold sweat present on his face. Goofy immediately went into over-worried and concerned father mode.

"Maxie!" he exclaimed in anxiety. "What's happened to you? Are you okay?" Max didn't answer his father and dismissed the concerned looks of the others, especially Riku, and looked frantically at King Mickey.

"Your Majesty!" he hailed in a tone that implied it being forced just out of hysteria. "We have a very serious problem."

* * *

Sora entered a beautiful oasis in the jungle. Waterfalls cascaded down cliffs wrapped in vibrant green vines into a pool of water. The water flowed as a small river off the edge of a cliff, but on the other side of the river from where Sora was there resided another side of the cliffs that was lined with flowers and a beautiful, shady tree. Kairi was starting to stir on his back and Sora hastened up the tree. He placed her down and Kairi moaned softly in comfort. She opened her eyes and Sora smiled at her.

"Why does everyone pick on me?" she pouted playfully. Sora laughed at her and she smiled as she lost herself in his twinkling blue eyes.

"I'm not picking on you," he laughed.

"But everyone else does," Kairi giggled. "Roxas, Naminé, Max, and all our enemies pick on me. The kraken, Pete…" Sora shushed her with his paw.

"Forget about them," he cooed softly as a white light began shining in his paw. The pink-silver crown pendant formed in his paw and Kairi looked at it with admiration as she read her name in the heart in the center.

"Happy birthday Kairi," Sora said happily. He fumbled with it in his paws as he tried to place it around her neck. Kairi giggled at his struggling and he made a face. "This is a lot harder without opposable thumbs," he chuckled. Finally, he got the chain ends attached to one another and stepped back. Kairi fingered it with her paw and turned it around to read the message.

_Happy sweet sixteen Kairi,_ she read, _Love Sora_. She smiled fondly at it before looking at Sora, who was waiting with apprehension.

"I love it Sora," she said. Sora sighed in relief and Kairi took a step towards him and licked the side of his face. "And I love you," she purred. Sora looked at her in shock and placed a paw to where she had licked him. "Isn't that how lions kiss?" Kairi asked innocently. Sora grinned and licked the opposite side of her cheek. She stopped in shock as well at the rough feel of his tongue before nuzzling her head with his. The voice of a singing meerkat suddenly reached them.

"_And if he fell in love last night,"_ Another voice, of a male lion hit their ears as they turned around.

"_It can be assumed," _Simba had joined Timon as Pumbaa walked in from the jungle.

"_His carefree days with us," _Pumbaa sang as a lioness padded her way in behind the warthog.

"_Are history," _she finished.

"_In short our pal," _they all sang before a small female lion cub jumped on top of Simba's head.

"_Is doomed," _she cutely sang. When she finished they all started laughing as Max and Roxas came in behind them, but Sora and Kairi started grinning.

"_And if I fell in love last night," _Sora sang in retaliation. _"What is it to you?"_

"_His carefree days with you continue,"_ Kairi added, glancing fondly at Sora.

"_It's just that she comes too," _Sora finished. Simba and the others nodded at him.

"A good addition Sora," Simba said approvingly. Kairi giggled as they came forward and Sora inspected the small lion cub.

"So who's this pretty thing?" Sora asked politely, glancing between Simba and Nala. They smiled at him.

"This is Kiara," Simba said, nudging her closer to Sora. "Our daughter." Sora bowed his head to her.

"It is a pleasure to met you Kiara," he said. Kiara studied him for a moment before looking back at her father in disappointment.

"Daddy," she whined. "You said that Sora was a great warrior, not a measly cub just two years old. I know I'm only a few months but there's no way he could fight as well as you can." Roxas, Max, and Kairi gave Kiara looks of indignation.

"Sora's fifteen Kiara," Nala said quietly to her daughter, seeing fires grow in Kairi's blue orbs. The Oathkeeper suddenly flashed into existence in Kairi's tail and she added hurriedly. "And I think you might want to apologize dear. Or else your going to be hunted down by another you think is young." Kiara turned and saw the intensity of Kairi's glare and quailed before it. She ran behind her father's front legs in fright.

"I'm sorry about what I said about you Sora," she called out. Kairi released her keyblade and glanced at Sora who nodded.

"Would you excuse us for a few minutes?" Kairi asked.

"Why am I not surprised?" Timon asked rhetorically. Sora and Kairi began walking into the jungle when Max called out to them.

"Sora! Kairi!" They turned and looked at him one last time as Roxas flashed into Sora. He seemed to be wrestling with himself but he looked back up at them.

"Take care of each other," he said. "And Kairi, your father loves you." Kairi smiled at him.

"Don't worry Max, we will." They turned their heads and started walking away and Kairi called out to Max over her shoulder. "And you can tell whoever told you to say that to tell my father that we love him too." They padded their way into the dense jungle, keeping in the shade of the leafy trees and enjoying each other's company on Kairi's special day.

"Sora?" Kairi asked nervously after a time while they were both lying side-by-side in the shade of a tree. "Do you think… Do you think what Pete said, and what Max just said are related?" Sora sighed and shook his head.

"I don't think so," he answered slowly. "But from what the Organization kept doing to me, I'm not sure anymore."

"Well, it looks like that wound I gave you has healed." They instantly stood up and Kairi got into a protective stance in front of Sora. Cossex and Nixion appeared in front of them from a portal of darkness. They hadn't bothered to change their appearance from a human look. Cossex readied her axes and Nixion drew his thunder blades. Keyblades appeared in the tails of Sora and Kairi as a small bubble of light surrounded the two.

"I've got your back Sora," Kairi whispered. Sora nodded but a sword crackling with electricity suddenly contacted Kairi's side and she was sent sprawling out of her shield of light, which quickly collapsed without her concentration. Sora called out her name in anxiety when he started howling in agony, cowing down before Cossex's mind-breaking powers. Kairi shook the lightning off of herself and knocked Nixion's blades away for a moment. A column of fire erupted from the Oathkepper's tip and Nixion leapt backwards. Kairi turned to Sora and raised another shield of light around him. He stopped cringing in pain and stood up, readying his keyblade to fight Cossex. She smirked at him and struck one axe through the light and Sora blocked it before retaliating with a slash from the Oblivion. Cossex backed away but the shield fell again as Nixion started attacking Kairi again. Kairi dodged one of the swords and blocked another with her keyblade, but the first sword came back around and hit her in the side. While Kairi was momentarily incapacitated, Nixion grabbed her and opened a portal of darkness. Cossex did the same with Sora while he was writhing on the ground again just as Max arrived in horror.

Kairi started struggling against Nixion as they went through the corridors of darkness to get to the other end. She had been transformed back into a girl again as they entered the portal and summoned her keyblade into her left hand. She tried to make an attack at Nixion's hand that kept her right arm prisoner, but her blocked the strike with the sword that remained in his right hand. He suddenly let go and spun around; placing his sword at the tip of the throat of a girl who looked like Kairi, except had blonde hair.

"You're coming with me," he ordered savagely, "or Naminé dies." Kairi dropped her head in resignation and released the Oathkeeper. She allowed herself to be led towards the other end of the corridor without verbally speaking.

_What were you doing Naminé?_ She thought sadly.

_I had been trying to sneak up on him so you could get free,_ her nobody replied honestly, but in a tone of regret. Nixion shoved Kairi and Naminé through the open exit, where they found themselves standing in the midst of the other six princesses: Alice, Aurora, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, and Snow White, who were all kneeling next to Sora. His morale was as low as could possibly be as his head hung helplessly in his hands. They all looked up as Nixion left through the cell door that PJ was holding open and stood next to Cossex.

"By the way Kairi," Cossex said, barely holding in a laugh. "Happy birthday." Kairi and Naminé scowled and sat next to Sora as the nobodies walked away. As soon as their footsteps had faded into the distance, Kairi sighed shakily and placed an arm around Sora as a tear welled up in her eye.

* * *

_And I hope that this won't be my last update for three weeks. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter._

_And the clue for the summon character: He makes regular appearances in a video game series and even has a piece of music named after him._

_I'll see you all later._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	23. Prophetic Change of Plans

_If you guys thought that this was getting near the end, think again. This puppy's nowhere near finished. I have plenty more summons and worlds to get through, and did you all forget about the shadowy voices Maleficent had been chatting with?_

_And congrats to knux 33 who correctly guessed that the summon was Bahamut._

_Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd be rich._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXIII: Prophetic Change of Plans

Kairi let the tear fall from her eye and clutched Sora tighter as Cossex and Nixion's footfalls completely faded away. Naminé and Roxas, who had come out again, were pacing in front of the bars of the cell, much to PJ's discomfort. The other princesses were all gathered around Sora and Kairi, concerned expressions visible on their faces. Kairi drew a ragged breath and looked around at the familiar surroundings, changed slightly with the thorny additions.

"I never thought I'd see this place again," she said shakily, before glancing at Sora's downcast expression. "But at least," she continued, "we're together instead of apart like last time." Sora looked up and gave her a half-hearted smile. Kairi could tell he was trying to keep on the positive outlook, but the fact that they had finally been captured, and so quickly too, had devastated him. A silence fell among them all for a while, as they just sat there, contemplating what was going to happen now.

Belle finally broke the silence by clearing her throat. Everyone looked at her and she smiled nervously at Kairi. "That's a different outfit than what you wore back at the castle Kairi," she said, hoping to break the ice. Kairi smiled and looked down at her black tank top and dark blue skirt. Jasmine then looked up at Kairi's neck and saw the pendant.

"And that pendant is new," she pointed out. "You didn't have that two days ago." Kairi fingered it before smiling at Sora.

"You can thank Sora for the pendant," she said. "It's a birthday present."

"And that's today, isn't it?" Alice asked apprehensively, looking as far out of the bars as she could. "That's what…" Kairi nodded slowly.

"What a great present," Roxas said rhetorically. PJ sighed and shook his head.

"A greater one is yet to come," he said sadly. Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé all looked at him in confusion while the other princesses hung their heads.

"What is it?" Sora asked, looking at each of them in turn. "Alice? Belle? Jasmine? What's going on? What does he mean?"

"You know Kairi," Aurora interjected. "You didn't say how you got the new outfit." The others looked up in excitement but Kairi stopped them all with a look.

"I made it," she stated simply. "Now what is PJ talking about?" PJ turned his back on the doors and started talking to the wall, and looking out a window.

"As soon as Nixion brought you into this castle," he explained. "A black keyhole formed in the heart-shaped moon of Kingdom Hearts. Enough hearts had been gathered since the partial destruction of the moon to return it to its previous, whole state. And in fact it has grown slightly. That keyhole will grant Maleficent total control over the heartless, no matter where they are or who is near them. It will also serve as a doorway into the realm of darkness, where hundreds of thousands of heartless await her to conquer and destroy the realm of light." PJ turned around and faced them. "She will also be able to use all the heartless within the moon and Maleficent will be able to grant powers to those faithful to her." He sighed and looked sadly at Sora as he took a step forward to the bars before continuing. "And she'll be able to bring out the darkness in people's hearts, turning them into heartless and nobodies to aid her as well." His voice choked up slightly and Kairi noticed that none were looking at either her or Sora. Not even PJ, who had turned around again. "She's planning to do that… to… you, Sora."

The four instantly felt as if they had been kicked in the chest. Sora, turned into a heartless, again? And to serve Maleficent? At first they were shocked by this news, and Kairi wept. But the tears quickly abated and Sora and Kairi rose, a determined look holding their eyes.

"She won't get me while I still draw breath," Sora growled. "Let her power increase, and the heartless come. With Kairi and the keyblade at my side we won't fall." Keyblades appeared in the hands of Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé and all were awed at their resistance. "Besides," Sora continued, looking up at the white ceiling. "We still need to free my father from Davy Jones." Kairi and the other princesses smiled.

"At least you still have one family member left," Cinderella thought aloud. She suddenly stopped, realizing along with the others just what she had said. Sora's group looked strangely at them when as one, their hands all met their heads in stupidity.

"What do you mean by that?" Naminé asked as Sora leaned forward in interest.

"Does this have anything to do with what Pete and Max said?" Roxas questioned.

"What did they say?" PJ asked tiredly.

"Pete said that we," Kairi answered shakily, "had no home left and Max told us to look after each other and that my father loved me."

"You mean they didn't tell you?" PJ asked sadly.

"Tell us what?" Sora questioned slowly. A brooding silence fell as tension rose. Sora looked around frantically at the faces of his friends, none of them were looking at anything except the floor as they refused to meet his gaze. PJ broke the silence with a sigh and looked out the window that only he could look out of again.

"A week ago today," he said in forced calm. Sora and Kairi looked at him strangely, listening to him with rapt attention. "Cossex attacked Destiny Islands again. With a full-scale army, and not using the Charr heartless she had at her disposal. I think her experiences with them before becoming a Nobody had something to do with it. But she attacked your home, and it was destroyed utterly. She slew your parents, and left the world with Riku, Yuffie, and Axel all cowering down before her in pain. After all the survivors got out, Cossex came back, and finished the job on the town. Nothing remains there now but broken hills, depressions, burnt wood and shattered concrete." They felt once again as if the wind had been completely knocked out of them. Sora staggered and fell down in shock, and as he was holding onto Kairi, she fell down too, not that she wouldn't have already.

The news bombarded their already besieged minds. Sora was to become a heartless, their home was destroyed, and their parents… dead. Grief overcame them quickly, driving all thoughts of resistance from their minds. Sora clutched his head in his hands and wept. Much of what he had known, what he was expecting to await him and Kairi when they had finished was now gone. If Maleficent had been standing there she would have smiled. She had gotten her revenge on him.

The hero of the keyblade, and his princess, were broken.

* * *

"What kind of problem Max?" King Mickey yelped at him. Max placed a hand shakily over his head and wiped some of the sweat off of his forehead. 

"Cossex and Nixion got them," he announced. The faces of those who listened reacted predictably, in shock and anger.

"They'll find out about the Islands from PJ, or worse, Maleficent!" Donald cried. "We're doomed!"

"Let's go get them back!" Kia snarled, grasping for her bow as Anar and Isil's hands flew to the hilts of their swords.

"We must go and rescue them and the other princesses," Mickey ordered. "We need to stop Maleficent before she can either escape or gain too much power from Kingdom Hearts." His head turned to Max. "Max, head to the Radiant Garden immediately to pick up Riku and Yuffie. Then come here. Axel, Open up a portal and transport everyone who is going to fight over here." Max nodded and dropped the connection as Cid dropped the one to the Radiant Garden. Axel cracked his fingers and a portal of darkness appeared behind them. Another one opened up in the chamber behind Mickey. The connection terminated and the group in Disney Castle witnessed the fourteen teenagers running out of the swirling darkness with Axel, Mulan, and Mushu in tow.

"Let's go get our friends back!" Tidus roared, unsheathing the Brotherhood and raising its crystal blade up to the skies. Hayner drew his sword as well, a ringing note filling the hall as the swords of Selphie, Anar, and Isil were also drawn. The five blades were brought together in the air, each point touching all others. Pence, Olette, Charlie, and Jeffery raised their staffs in similar fashion and Kia, Wakka, and Yazoo scowled. They couldn't do something like that with their weapons.

"Wait!" King Mickey said, halting their moments of fellowship. "We still need to wait for Max to arrive with Riku and Yuffie, so rest up."

* * *

Maleficent was standing atop the Altar of Naught, gazing up at the keyhole to Kingdom Hearts. Cossex, Nixion, and Pete were beside her, looking up at the heart shaped moon with awe. Maleficent raised her staff, the green orb on its top glowing. 

"Kingdom Hearts," she said in a commanding voice. "I have brought you the seven who kept your darkness imprisoned. Now, reward your servant of darkness." She knelt before the moon and the black keyhole glowed green. A beam of the green light radiated from the keyhole and struck Maleficent. She cried out in euphoria as great green flames erupted around her. The three others backed away as she cackled in joy at the gifts the darkness was giving her. The green light stopped, and for a moment the glow emanated from Maleficent until it subsided and drew within her. She looked no different, but now the complete powers of darkness, powers Xehanort could have only dreamed of having, were within her, and emanated from her body as though veiled. Her subordinates trembled before her and Cossex and Nixion knelt in reverence while Pete flung himself to the ground in front of her. A queen of evil had arisen.

A warm wind, carrying a hint of white light, suddenly blew and swirled around Maleficent for a moment before fading away. She scoffed her head in indifference and stepped forward. She placed her hand on Nixion, who was nearest. A great electric light pulsed from her hand and Nixion's hair flowed about him. The sensation stopped and small crackling bolts of electricity coursed around him.

"Arise my servant," she called. "The powers you wished for are now yours." Nixion rose and bowed before her again before taking his place at her right side. She remained standing there and started speaking to them all.

"Word reached my ears when the wind blew of a prophecy," she announced. "One that concerns the seventh princess of heart, her husband, and their child." She raised her hand and within it an eternal darkness grew. "I had planned to extract Sora's heart and crush the mind of the princess by making him a heartless. Thus exacting my revenge on him by forcing him to fight his friends. But since I heard that prophecy," she closed her hand to make a fist, crushing the darkness back within her. "I think I'll let him stay. After all, his heart is not full of light."

"Speaking of hearts," Cossex interjected. "Where is _my _heart?" Maleficent looked down at the woman who still knelt before her with indifference.

"It appears your heartless has not been slain yet my dear Cossex," she answered. Cossex looked up at her in anger.

"You mean to say," she growled as she stood up. "That I slew all those people, gathered hearts for you, and caused all that pain… for nothing!"

"I don't see why you're so angry Cossex," Nixion said. "You can't feel emotion, you can't feel sorrow or remorse." Cossex winced at him and looked away.

"I may not feel," she said quietly, more to herself. "But I remember how to feel, and I know what I should be feeling." She snapped her head in Maleficent's direction, her eyes glowing with hate. "You will fall Maleficent," she said as a portal appeared behind her. "You will fall, and I hope I'll be there to see it, with my friends." She stepped backwards through the portal and closed it before Maleficent or Cossex could follow.

_I hope I know what I'm doing,_ she thought.

* * *

Sora and Kairi looked up from their grieving when they heard the sounds of a portal opening in front of them. Cossex stepped out, and their faces hardened in anger. 

"Go away!" Kairi snarled. "You've caused us enough pain already!"

"So you heard," Cossex replied sadly before looking down. "I came to apologize, and get you out of here."

"Why would you apologize?" Sora hissed. "You did it and then went back and destroyed everything!" Cossex raised her hand and Sora stopped.

"I only did it under Maleficent's orders," she replied. "She was going to reward my service with my heart, which I lost while fighting heartless in my homeworld to protect my friends." Sora's face lost its aggression for a moment and he looked at Kairi, who was looking at him. He had lost his heart before when fighting to protect Kairi.

"She didn't give me my heart," Cossex continued. "She says it was not present in Kingdom Hearts because my heartless had not been slain. I'm leaving her service." PJ started and looked at her.

"You're what?" he asked. Cossex chuckled at him and gave him a glance.

"You're one to talk," she said. "You've been working for King Mickey the whole time." PJ stopped with his mouth open and stared at her.

"How did you know?" he asked. Cossex grunted and looked again at Sora and Kairi.

"So here it is, I'm sorry for causing all the pain you have suffered and I understand if you'll never forgive me. But I needed to get that off my chest before I leave to find my heartless and reclaim my heart." Sora and Kairi nodded at her, much to the amazement of the princesses.

"I don't know if we'll ever truly forgive you," Sora said. "My heart is full of anger at the moment, but we can at least call a truce until this is over." Cossex nodded and opened a portal behind them.

"Now go," she ordered. "Maleficent needs to be stopped, but she can only be stopped if her allies are defeated. She placed a figment of her power in each of them, and she won't be defeated until they all are, or they are cleansed of her presence. Hurry now and go before she arrives!"

"You won't be leaving!" Maleficent had arrived. Sora glanced fearfully at her as Cossex vanished in another portal that she had conjured. Roxas and Naminé quickly stepped in front of Sora and Kairi, drawing their keyblades.

"Get going!" Jasmine ordered, standing up with the other princesses. "We'll hold her back!" Maleficent laughed at their resistance.

"You think your powers can stop the true darkness of the Queen of all Evil?" she scoffed. Sora turned and started running towards the portal as the princesses created a shield of light around the cell. Kairi hesitated for a few moments, worried about her friends, but she also turned. Maleficent howled in anger and raised her staff towards Kairi's retreating figure. A green fireball, tainted with darkness rocketed out. It broke through the cell's bars and streamed through the light before it slammed into Kairi's back. She cried in pain and staggered through the corridors of darkness as a small light suddenly left her chest and joined with another light. The lights exited through the entrance just before it closed and slammed into Roxas and Naminé. They stumbled for a moment and Naminé dropped to her knees. The attack Kairi had suffered affecting her too. Belle through a hasty look at the two Nobodies as Maleficent grinned in triumph.

"Get out!" she ordered. Naminé nodded, clutching her heart, and opened up another portal. Roxas grabbed Naminé and helped her through. The portal closed behind them and Roxas continued to help Naminé stagger forward.

Kairi wandered aimlessly through the corridor of darkness, trying desperately to follow Sora while the burn she had suffered made her sweat profusely. Her body ached and she felt sick, a cold sweat making her suffer continuously as she weakened. A swath of light in the darkness opened up under her feet and she landed face down on something that felt briefly like wood just before she fell unconscious again.

Roxas continued to help Naminé towards the end of the corridor when she collapsed into unconsciousness just before the portal's edge. He grimaced and shouldered her, before suddenly realizing that he couldn't see through his own hand, nor her head. Roxas looked around frantically, but no keyblade was in sight. They had regained their bodies. Deciding it best to wonder at this later he walked through the open portal.

Sora ran through the open exit of the path he and Kairi had taken and turned around, expecting to see Kairi behind him, but all he saw was the swirling darkness of the portal.

"Kairi?" he asked, expecting her to come out of the portal at this moment and chastise him for not waiting up. But she didn't arrive. Sora's eyes grew in fear of losing her and hastened towards the portal, only to find it close just before he could enter it. Sora stopped in shock.

_Roxas!_ He thought. _Kairi and Naminé aren't here! What should we do?_

No reply came. Sora tried again, and again there was no reply. He suddenly found himself facing an unimaginable truth.

For the first time since his adventures began in Traverse Town over a year ago, he was alone.

So completely alone.

* * *

Maleficent was standing back atop the Altar of Naught, staring up at the moon where heartless were pouring out from the keyhole by hundreds every second. Pete and Nixion were beside her, staring in awe as the army entered the realm of light from the realm of darkness. 

"That keyhole can only be sealed by the combined powers of at least three keyblades," Maleficent said, turning to look at her henchmen. "And two are already on their way here. We must not be when they arrive." Nixion and Pete nodded at her as she opened the latest in the string of portals that day.

"A tactical retreat," she said, looknig into the portal's darkness. "We'll coordinate everything from the fortresses of our strongest allies. Nixion, you will go to the one robed in white, while I stay with the black." Nixion nodded and Pete looked hastily at his master.

"Where do I go Maleficent?" he asked. Maleficent pointed towards the open portal.

"You will come with me," she ordered. "Maybe we'll think of a use for you yet." Pete gulped and followed his master and Nixion through the portal.

PJ watched from the dungeon with the six other princesses when, as one, nearly all the heartless and nobodies in the world, as well as the ones streaming out of the keyhole, vanished.

* * *

_Well, there you have it. The last chapter I'm posting before I go on holiday. Now you can all speculate about everything, just as there is current rampant speculation concerning events of the seventh Harry Potter book. And I expect speculation about the prophecy, though only I know it. The betrayal of Cossex, decides the fate of everything._

_I also will not deny that that book is a primary cause for my going on leave from writing. I'm too excited about it to think straight about writing anymore for the time being._

_Doubtfully though, by the time I return from camp, I'll have become so sick of the French language that I'll be itching to write something in English and will have the entire next few chapters planned out._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect** **You **_

_Shire Folk_


	24. Separation Part I

_Hey everyone! I'm back from Space camp but I__'ve had the time to write this chapter, and even some of the next! Hope you all enjoy it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXIV: Separation Part I

King Mickey looked around in the communications room in Disney Castle and shook his head sadly.

"I should have told 'em sooner," he said aloud. "Then we might not be in the mess we are now." He raised his head and looked up at the ceiling as if it were the sky. "I hope they can forgive me." King Mickey turned his head around as someone gave a scoff of indignation.

"I'm not sure if they will," Hayner said with crossed arms. "Keeping the deaths of their parents and the fall of their home a secret from them would be pretty hard to forgive." Hayner flicked his head back and indicated those around him. "I hope they can forgive _us_. We're going to put our lives in danger to save them."

"They'll probably tell us it isn't worth risking our lives for," Tidus added, placing a hand on Hayner's shoulder. His friend looked back at him and they both nodded in understanding as Wakka walked up.

"But they saved the worlds and our lives," he said appreciatively. "It's the least we can do, yah." Kia looked up from where she had been standing with the twins, Anar and Isil.

"I remember I sneaked a glance at what Sora and Kairi had been writing in English class," she said, slightly guilty. "At first I didn't believe what I had read, but after the heartless showed up at the party, I realized it was all true." Anar smiled.

"That was a rough night, but one crazy party," he said. Isil and Selphie cracked grins out as Daisy put a feathered finger to her bill.

"Party..." she said aloud whilst thinking. "Party, now what does that remind me of?" Donald's face immediately became anxious and he began inching away from where he had been speaking with Goofy. Goofy was about to say something but Donald quickly silenced him with a look. Donald had gotten just about three feet away from Goofy when Daisy's expression brightened and she looked pointedly at Donald.

"Donald!" she called. "We can go on our date now." Pence and Olette looked happily between the two ducks.

"Date?" Olette inquired. Axel walked up to them with Mushu on his shoulder.

"Daisy is Donald's very special sweetheart," Axel explained. "And I have to say that if I were a duck, I'd say that Donald has great taste." Diasy suddenly rounded on him.

"What do you mean 'If I were a duck'? Don't you think I look great the way I am?" Mushu leapt off of Axel's shoulder and advanced on the female duck.

"You'd make a great Peking Duck if you don't back off!" he warned. Daisy's face turned a violent red and Queen Minnie tried to restrain her as Donald began jabbering incoherently in rage. Mulan placed a hand on her shaking head.

"Mushu," she moaned quietly. Mickey raised his hands while everyone else watched in shock as Donald was quickly held at bay from freezing Mushu to an icy dragon pop by Goofy and Mushu's arms were pulled behind his back as he was dragged backwards by Axel.

"Stop!" Mickey ordered in a commanding tone. A rumble sounded from outside and all stopped in their actions and looked at King Mickey. He gazed sternly at the quarreling party with a furrowed brow.

"This bickering is pointless," he reprimanded. Donald, Daisy, and Mushu cringed before they looked guiltily at each other. "Look at ourselves," King Mickey continued, gesturing around. "Sora and Kairi are taken out of the picture for five minutes and we're already fighting with each other! Maleficent must be very proud of us."

"We must be strong and united now," Mulan added with her support. "Now more than ever witrhout Sora to keep us going." Donald and Mushu shook their heads in shame as the others looked down in silence; each were contemplating what could be happening to the two captured wielders.

"Maybe," Tidus said after a long pause, "some fresh air will do us some good while we wait for Riku." The others nodded in agreement. They slowly filed out until only King Mickey and his Queen were left in the room. SHe looked anxiously at her husband and took a cautious step forward.

"Mickey?" Minnie called softly as she studied his face. The mouse king did nt respond verbally, but his face lost its stony, emotionless espression and broke into one to resemble a mix of anxiety, shame, and regret. Minnie could only imagine what he had to be feeling. His greatest asset, and the princess who had proven herself capable of fighting were gone. HIs enemy had become evil incarnate, and had probably told her captives a piece of very important emotional information; and had likely turned Sora into her pawn.

"Mickey?" she called again, in a more worried tone and quieter than before. Queen Minnie at first worried that he hadn't heard her until he sighed and looked at her.

"Minnie?" he asked sadly. "Can you forgive me my Queen?" Queen Minnie was first taken aback by this unexpected question.

_He's worse than I thought,_ she thought. _If he's asking for forgiveness from more than just Sora and Kairi. But at least he's accepting that what he did was wrong._ Minnie calmly approached her husband.

"I forgive you Mickey," she said. "I should probably be furious with you but it was your decision to make." Mickey looked at her in shock but Minnie pressed on. "But it isn't me, or Donald, or Goofy that you should ask to forgive you. The choice remains with Sora and Kairi alone." Mickey nodded sadly and looked at his wife.

"I shoulda done what you told me before we left," he said glumly before looking up in the sky. "I'm a terrible king." Minnie's face suddenly radiated her shock at his statement.

"Don't say that!" she responded after a moment's stunned silence. "You're a good king. You've helped save the worlds from evil twice. But even the most benevolent king makes mistakes." King Mickey shook his head while she was speaking and cut in.

"But I don't even rule over them," he said dejectedly. "I'm just their friend who happens to be a king. It wasn't my place to keep things from them in the first place." Minnie shushed him, and looked him firmly in the eye.

"Mickey, you did what you thought was right. No one can blame you for that. But you can't keep dwelling on what you did and follow Mulan's advice instead. We have to press forward and be strong now." Mickey looked at her in wonder of the words of wisdom coming from her mouth, and Minnie was a little shocked herself. An awkward moment swiftly passed between them before Mickey suddenly kissed his wife.

"I love you Minnie," he whispered into the shocked Queen's ear. "And you're absolutely right." Queen Minnie smiled and took her smiling husband's hand. "Let's get out into the Sun, this room is too gloomy," King Mickey said. Minnie nodded and they walked out of the white room. Its oppressive walls lost their effect when the Sun's rays illuminated their faces on the open hallway. King Mickey's morale raised as he and his Queen regally promenaded through the hallway and into the courtyard.

Pence, Olette, Kia, and Isil were at one of the flowerbeds, admiring the beauty and inhaling the relaxing scent the flowers were emitting. Their eyes were closed and a look of peace was etched on their faces. Charlie, Jeffery, Anar, Yazoo, Selphie, and Wakka were resting on the grass underneath the shadow of the hedge castle's battlements. Upon the battlements Hayner and Tidus were scrambling about, sparring to their hearts' content. Goofy and his knights were dispersed throughout the courtyard, Goofy himself lying down between Anar and Wakka. Donald and Daisy were sitting together near a flowerbed under the hedge statue of Clarabelle Cow, and Mulan and Mushu were looking around the courtyard, intrigued by the statues. Mickey turned his head and Axel, who had been standing nearby, bowed before the King and Queen of Disney Castle.

"Your Majesties," he said during his bow. Axel raised his head and looked at them both with his teal eyes. "You look better your majesty," he said whilst looking at Mickey. He then threw the Queen a wink. "Nice job Queenie." Minnie blushed and Axel and Mickey chuckled heartily. A cry reached their ears and they stopped, searching for the voice.

Hayner was pointing into the sky, all others lookibng in the direction he was pointing. King Mickey's eyes followed Hayner's arm and he squinted at the sky. What Hayner was pointing at quickly became apparent.

White light was descending from the sky, being carried on a wind. The wind fell on them quickly and whipped all around. Mickey expected the wind would steal the heat away and buffet them, judging by the strength it had appeared to have; but the wind was warm and soft, and soothed the minds of those it came in contact with. And a voice seemed to come from the wind and its words remained engraved in the memories of those who heard.

_The heart of light of a knight of great valor,_

_The Seventh Princess of heart shall win._

_Of the child of their love's endeavor,_

_Light of Evil's bane lies within._

King Mickey looked at those around him as the light entered into the sky on the wind and disippated into the sky.

"What-" Kia asked, looking around with confusion on her face, "was that?" Wakka stood up from the ground, equally confused. He looked over at King Mickey, to whom all eyes were straying.

"What does it mean, yah?" he asked. Mickey's brow furrowed as he contemplated the meaning.

"The prophecy seems to be about Kairi," he said at last, worried about using the term 'prophecy'. "And it looks like it will be her child who finally defeats the evil."

"But what about that bit about a knight?" Selphie asked, her eyes shining dreamily as they glazed over. "Do we know who this knight is?" Mickey shook his head.

"No," he said before a thought suddenly struck him and he looked down sadly. "Whoever he is," he sighed, "Sora isn't a knight, and his heart has darkness in it. Like all of us." The Sun itself couldn't bring down enough light to break through the gloomy atmosphere that had once again settled on the group.

"You mean to say," Olette began nervously, the first to bring her fears to words, "that Sora and Kairi are gong to break up?" Mickey shook his head sadly.

"I don't know," he said. "It's their relationship. Anything can happen and we shouldn't interfere. No, we can't interfere! I've done too much of that already. But only time will tell." He fell silent and Mulan took a step forward after a long pause.

"So what do we do now Your Excellency?" she asked. Mickey looked up at her.

"We wait for Riku, Yuffie, and Max," he answered. "And hope that we can reach Maleficent's castle in time."

* * *

They all waited in the courtyard as the afternoon drew on into dusk. Some meandered about amongst the knights of Disney Castle, others simply napped and rested amongst themselves, while others still were practicing the skills they felt for sure that they would need within the next few hours. 

A full two hours past and the sky had turned a rosy pink when the dull roar of engines could be heard. hey all looked up to see the _Highwind _coming down to land. Everyone rushed into the concealed hangar bay as the _Highwind_ was lost from view. They ran down the stairs and were greeted by Max, Riku, and Yuffie who were running up to them.

"Your Majesty!" Riku hailed in anxiety. "Did you hear a proph-"

"King Mickey!" Yuffie cried, drowning out Riku. "There was this wierd wind that spoke to us and said something that made me think Sora and Kairi were going to break up!" Mickey raised a hand to quiet her as Riku placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We don't know that for sure," Riku said softly. "You saw the photos in Sora'S room, and in Kairi's. I don't think they will, but anything can happen."

"Including us rescuing them!" King Mickey exclaimed. "Everyone onto the ships!"

"Hey King Mickey," Max challenged with a smile. "We'll race you there." As one Max, Riku, and Yuffie raced back up into the _Highwind_. King Mickey turned to Minnie and huigged her as everyone else excluding Donald and Daisy scurried aboard the _Avenger._

"I'll be back soon," he said confidently as he pulled away. "And Sora and Kairi will be with us." Queen Minnie smile sadly at him.

"I'll be waiting," she said softly. "Be careful." Mickey nodded and turned away with Donald before boarding the _Avenger_.

* * *

King Mickey stepped onto the bridge just as their ship began approaching the _Highwind_. 

"Pass her," he ordered one of the knights standing nearby. "If Riku and Max want a race, they'll have a race." The knight nodded and accelerated the _Avenger_ forward before his face displayed a look of shock when the _Highwind_ vanished from view.

"What happened?" King Mickey asked frantically. "Where are they?"

"I don't know sir," the knight responded. "They must have activated the warp drive."

"Well catch them!" King Mickey ordered.

"Yes sir!" the knight responded as he grabbed the ship's intercom mic. "Prepare ship for light speed," he spoke into the intercom. (A/N 1)

"No no, light speed is too slow," Mickey retorted.

"Light speed too slow?" the knight asked.

"Yes!" Mickey replied, a determined look on his face. "We're going to have to go right to... ludicrous speed!" Everyone within hearing range gasped.

"Ludicrous speed!?" the knight said. "Sir no one has ever gone that fast before. I don't know if the ship can take it."

"What's the matter Col. Sanders," King Mickey asked aggressively, "chicken?" Col. Sanders was speechless for a moment before speaking into the mic again.

"Prepare ship!" he screeched before steadying his voice. "Prepare ship, for ludicrous speed. Fasten all seatbelts. Seal all entrances and exits. Close all shops in the mall. Cancel the three-ring circus. Secure all animals in the zoo-" King Mickey snatched the mic from him.

"Give me that you petty excuse for an officer," he said. Col. Sanders scurried away into a seat and buckled up. "Now hear this," Mickey bellowed into the mic, "Ludicrous Speed!"

"King Mickey maybe you should buckle up!" Sanders yelled. King Mickey was about to flip him off when Axel ran up and forced the monarch to take his seat and buckle up. Axel then ran off and strapped himself in before grabbing an intercom mic himself.

"Ludicrous Speed!" Axel ordered. "GO!" The ship lurched forward and stars began streaking past the front viewport before a large yellow-orange-red plaid square began to form. The _Avenger_ began travelling through the square...

(A/N 1: Since I'm at Space Camp, I learned relativity. And because of that, I know that you cannot travel at the speed of light, not even for the smallest fraction of a second. Because as soon as you enter the speed of light, and infinite amount of time will have passed to the observer. And therefore when you drop out, time, and the universe itself, will cease to exist. Not a pleasent way to go is it?)

* * *

Riku, Max, and Yuffie were on the _Highwind's_ bridge, patiently awaiting their arrival at the World That Never Was when a large plaid ship past over them with a roar. 

"What the hell was that?" Yuffie asked in shock.

"The _Avenger_," Riku replied in awe.

"They've gone to plaid," Max remarked before the three sat back and gaped in awe.

* * *

The _Highwind_ landed by the Skyscraper of Memory in the city of the World That Never Was to receive a greeting from King Mickey's party, Mickey smiling broadly in front. 

"Beat you," he said with a smirk as the trio descended. The departing crew grimaced before looking in shock as a silver keyblade was placed at the back of King Mickey's neck. Axel gave a violent start as the figure began to speak.

"You have a lot of explaining to do King Mickey," said Roxas.

* * *

Roxas switched Naminé from his shoulder into a more dignified position in his arms as he stepped out of the portal. He didn't notice his surroundings at first, as his face was growing hot while he looked at Naminé and the positions of his hands. 

_In the name of Zeus,_ he thought while his cheeks flushed red, _how does Sora do this? _He knew that he and Naminé had had certain daydreams with each other, certainly more, _mature, _than what they knew Sora and Kairi day dreamed about. But unlike Sora or Kairi they had never done anything more, _mature,_ than holding hands and kissing, excluding the banquet in Neverland, so it was no surprise that Roxas was feeling slightly uncomfortable with the current position Naminé was in relation to him, even though she was unconscious. The Sun's lengthening rays glistened on her creamy white dress and sparkled and danced through her blonde hair. The light reflected off the red brick beneath her and Naminé's cheeks gained a beautiful rosy tone. Roxas' complexion cleared as he looked inquiringly at the bricks under Naminé.

_I know those bricks_, he thought. He looked up to see the Sun set in dusk, and behind where a large station clock tower was. A white wind was blowing around the top of the tower, and as soon as Roxas spotted it the wind billowed down and began swirling around him. It was warm, and a voice issued from it.

_The heart of light of a knight of great valor,_

_The Seventh Princess of heart shall win,_

_Of the child of their love's endeavor,_

_Light of Evil's bane lies within._

The voice stopped speaking and the wind died. But the light the wind bore entered Naminé and she glowed faintly for a moment. Roxas stood staring at her in confusion, pondering what he had just heard when a voice reached him.

"Roxas?" The spiky blonde looked up, and Hayner, Pence, and Olette were looking anxiously at him from the other end of the station platform.

"Hayner?" Roxas asked in disbelief. "Pence? Olette?" They nodded and pulled out three different coloured crystals: red, yellow, and green. Shock struck Roxas as he recognized the crystals he had broken off the Four Crystal Trophy.

He hadn't arrived in Twilight Town, he had arrived in the Virtual Twilight Town, where he had been placed by DiZ while Naminé was restructuring Sora's memories.

_Naminé_.

Roxas looked down at Naminé's face, which had gained a more peaceful look since the light entered her, and smiled.

"Thank you, Naminé," he whispered. He heard footsteps and looked up; Hayner and the others were coming closer.

"Where have you been man?" Hayner asked with his eyebrows raised at Naminé. He then smirked. "Your girlfriend?" Olette smacked Hayner upside the head before Roxas could respond.

"Don't be so insensitive Hayner!" she scolded before looking anxiously at Naminé. "Is she okay?" Roxas shook his head.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. He really didn't know anymore. "But we have to get her somewhere safe," he continued. "Somewhere she can rest."

"To the Usual Spot then," Pence said, turning around and leading the way. Roxas followed with Hayner behind him and Olette by his side. She placed a hand on Naminé's forehead and she looked at Roxas, warmth emanating from her green eyes.

"She seems fine," she said, "she's just resting now." Roxas nodded in relief and Olette looked inquiringly at him. "What happened to her?" Roxas looked at Olette, and he could tell that Hayner and Pence were listening.

"Naminé," Roxas explained, indicating her with a nod of his head. "Shares a connection; or at least she did share a connection, I don't know anymore, with another girl called Kairi, who is also dear to us."

"Us?" Hayner asked. Roxas was about to answer when a fist connected with the side of his face. Roxas was sent reeling, Naminé dropping on the ground and rolling a foot or so, while Olette cried out.

"You've gone too far Seifer!" Seifer folded his arms and glared at Roxas, who was staggering around.

"That was for not showing up so I could face you in the Struggle this summer," he spat. But Roxas didn't hear him. His head was swimming and he blinked pain from his eyes. Only one thought floated through his mind. _Naminé, where is Naminé?_ He finally located her lying on the ground with Pence and Olette near her. The pain vanished from his head as he looked at Naminé, the anger that Sora usually gains growing within him.

"Keep her safe," he ordered. Olette and Pence nodded fearfully, they could _feel_ the power emanating from Roxas. Roxas turned around and glared past Hayner's shoulder at Seifer, who arrogantly smirked and pulled out a Struggle bat. "Fall back Hayner," Roxas growled, "I can take him."

"You sure?" Hayner asked without looking at Roxas. "He's gotten a lot tougher since you vanished." Roxas nodded.

"I'm positive," he said. Hayner looked back and saw the flames blazing in his friend's eyes and retreated.

"Famous last words Chicken Wuss," Seifer taunted, undaunted by Roxas' smaller frame and unaware of the power around him. "Now I'll show you what happens to people who misbehave in my town." Seifer leapt forward and charged at Roxas.

Flames formed in Roxas' hands and he brought them together to face Seifer. With all his righteous fury he bellowed, "Firaga!" A fifteen foot column of fire erupted from his hands and streaked towards his adversary. Seifer's eyes widened in terror as the fire came at him and he threw himself onto the ground away from the advancing blaze. Roxas relinquished the spell and the Fenrir and Sleeping Lion appeared in his hands. Roxas ran forward and batted Seifer's Struggle bat away as if it were air and placed the Sleeping Lion's tip on Seifer's throat. Seifer looked fearfully at the blade and at Roxas as he backed away on the ground.

"You will never harm my friends," Roxas growled, "or me again. Do you understand?" Seifer whimpered in the affirmative and Roxas looked at him with a mixture of disdain and pity. "Now go."

Seifer got up and scrambled away, but not before turning around and addressing Roxas. "This isn't over!" he retorted. Roxas raised the Fenrir and electricity crackled around the keyblade.

"Sure it is," he said with a smirk.

Seifer turned tail and fled.

Roxas dismissed his keyblades and walked back to Naminé. Hayner, Pence, and Olette backed away in awe as Roxas picked up his unconscious girlfriend and headed into the Back Alley.

"What happened to you Roxas?" Pence asked as they caught up before Roxas reached the red sheet that concealed the Usual Spot. Roxas turned towards them and said one sentence.

"I met up with my past." Roxas turned his back on them and walked into the Usual Spot. The place looked just as he had remembered it, an exact duplicate of the real Twilight Town's. He walked up to the red couch in the center and gently laid Naminé down on it. Roxas stepped back and kneeled by her head.

_Sora, _he thought, _Namin__é is_ _out. How's Kairi doing?_

There was no reply.

_Sora?_ Again, nothing. Roxas grew aggravated.

_Sora if this is some kind of sick joke I swear I will kill you._ But his words lost their conviction as he spoke them, his anger replaced by fear. Sora knew how important Naminé was to Roxas, there was no way he would kid around at a time like this.

_Sora! _Roxas tried again in one last effort. But his attempt was in vain and was met once again by nothingness. He shook his head in despair. He had lost his most vital and important confidant. A connection he treasured at all times. In his grief he didn't hear Hayner, Pence, and Olette enter behind him.

"Okay Roxas," Hayner started. "Spill. Where have you been, and what has happened to you?" Roxas sighed but did not turn to face his friends.

_Now I know how Namin__é felt, _he thought, _before she told me I was never meant to exist._

"None of us, including me, were supposed to exist." His proclamation was met by silence, and the same question that he had asked arrived.

"How can you say something like that?" Olette asked. "Even if it were true?" Roxas looked down.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just thought it would be best if we start at the beginning." He turned around and sat on the arm of the couch. He raised his arm and motioned towards the green loveseat nearby. "You guys might want to sit down," he said guiltily, shying away from their faces. "This will take a while." Pence and Olette sat down immediately and looked intently at Roxas. Hayner stood still for a minute, looking mutinous, before he too sat down on the loveseat's right arm.

"There are two Twilight Towns," Roxas began. The other three shared looks of disbelief but Roxas plowed on through. "Two Twilight Towns. This one, and the real Twilight Town. This Twilight Town is a computer simulation created by a man named Ansem the Wise, a.k.a. DiZ. All the inhabitants in it are data-based life forms created from hearts. It was created, because of me." Roxas paused, thinking of how he would put his next words when Hayner spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Okay, so we're all computer data duplicates of our real selves and live in an alternate reality-"

"It's only alternate because of me," Roxas interrupted sharply. "I am the manipulative variable. This whole town was created to conceal me." Olette shook her head.

"Roxas," she began slowly. "I don't understand. If we're all data, what about you? And why you?" Roxas sighed.

"It's because of what I am," he explained, "or what I was."

"Now you just aren't making any sense," Pence said.

"The last time you knew me I was data too," Roxas said. "But before then, I was a Nobody."

"Don't ever say something like that about yourself!" Olette interjected.

"But you don't even know what a Nobody is," Roxas argued. "A being is made up of three parts: heart, body, and soul. These three parts are normally in harmony, as with the light and darkness inside the heart. But if the darkness ever consumes the heart the being splits into two: one is a heartless and the other a nobody. The heartless is made of the heart consumed in darkness and the nobody is the empty body and soul left behind." Hayner, Pence, and Olette were all gaping at him with open mouths but Roxas continued. "The heartless are feral, and only seek to capture new hearts to increase their ranks. Any heart, including the heart of a world. The only thing to seal the keyhole to a world's heart to prevent it from vanishing and the only thing that can truly combat and destroy the heartless is a special weapon called a keyblade." Roxas summoned the Sleeping Lion and Fenrir back into his hands.

"I am a wielder of the keyblade," he said. "Because I am, or was, the nobody of the keyblade master, a boy our age by the name of Sora. He turned himself into a heartless in order to give Kairi back her heart, which had migrated inside him. When that happened, I was created in the real Twilight Town and was recruited into Organization XIII, an organization made up of thirteen powerful nobodies, by its superior Xemnas." Roxas dismissed his keyblades and waved his hand. Two Samurai nobodies appeared out of silver spheres and Hayner started. "I was number XIII, the Key of Destiny," Roxas continued, "and given control of the Samurai Nobodies." He waved his hand again and the Samurai vanished.

"Sora, my other, regained his body through using Kairi's heart which was full of light. There are only eight known people who have no darkness in their hearts: the seven princesses of heart, of whom Kairi is the seventh, and Naminé, who is Kairi's nobody." Roxas paused and allowed all of this to sink in before continuing.

"While I was with Organization XIII, Sora came to a place called Castle Oblivion, where he defeated several of my fellow Organization members while losing his memories. Naminé had been captured and held there, and she agreed to help Sora by rearanging his memories back to the way they were, seeing as how she was the one who changed them in the first place by order of the Marluxia, number XI and master of Castle Oblivion. DiZ then approached her, and with Sora's best friend Riku, moved Sora to the old mansion in the real Twilight Town while he slept. Riku then fought me twice and defeated me and brought me into this Twilight Town to hide me from the Organization while Sora recovered. I had part of Sora's power, and DiZ thought I needed to give it back for Sora to become whole again."

"Do you guys remember when I kept having dreams about him, and guys in white kept attacking?" Roxas asked. "That was when the Organization found me, and kept trying to bring me back. And the girl in the window was Naminé Pence, not a curtain flapping in the wind."

"I have gone to more places than you can imagine, and I have shared a special connection with Sora since I joined with him, until now. Same with Naminé, she has had a strong connection with Kairi. But just before we showed up here," Roxas placed his hand on Naminé's forehead. It was slightly warm, but she seemed fine. "We were all captured by our enemy, and told that Sora and Kairi's home had been destroyed and our parents killed. Maleficent's servant defected and opened a portal for Sora and Kairi to escape through, but, Maleficent showed up and hit Kairi. Naminé then opened up a portal for us to escape through before she fell unconscious, which must have happened to Kairi." Resolve burned in his eyes as an idea struck him. "And I'm going to go back and do what I can." Roxas stood up abruptly and called the Sleeping Lion back into his right hand. He stepped forward but Hayner blocked his path.

"You aren't going alone," Hayner said. "I'm going with you." Roxas placed his hand on his chin.

"Okay," he said. "I'll give you a test." Roxas dismissed the Sleeping Lion and held his hands in front of him. A white shimmer glowed in the air over his hands and a short sword materialized in his hands. Roxas pointed the hilt at Hayner, who took the sword apprehensively. The sword dropped half a foot as it passed between their hands and Hayner grunted. It was certainly heavier than a Struggle bat. Roxas waved his hand and a Samurai appeared. It unsheathed its katanas and turned to face Hayner.

"Defeat the Samurai," Roxas said, dropping back, "and you can come with me." Hayner nodded and held his three foot long sword readily in his right hand. The Samurai gracefully moved forward first and came at Hayner. It struck Hayner's left side with the flat of one of its katanas and dodged Hayner's lunge with an artful twirl before striking Hayner again. He grunted in pain and tried to attack again only for his lunge to be sidestepped and hit again. Hayner dropped to his knees as his opponent hit him once more and Roxas said, "Stop!"

The Samurai stopped and vanished. Roxas came to his friend's side along with Pence and Olette and healed Hayner with a cure spell. Hayner sat up and shrugged off the hand Roxas placed on his shoulder to comfort him.

"I'm going to be fighting things a hundred times more dangerous than a Samurai," Roxas said quietly, "and probably several creatures that took four of us to even bring down one. I don't want you hurt, any of you." Roxas stood up and walked to the curtain. "I'll be back soon," he said. "If you get worried, come to the old mansion and wait for me." The last he saw of them before stepping past the curtain was their stunned expressions. One, that he would put his friend through that, and Two, that he would be fighting things far more powerful and would survive. He began walking through the quiet streets towards the mansion. Some time had passed since he had entered, he reckoned roughly two hours. His feet carried him through the town and woods without a soul to be seen apart from him as he marched towards what he supposed would be his doom.

The mansion was quiet as he filed through entrance hall and up the stairs towards the library on the right and down into the basement computer room. He took a moment to look at the broken computer and small beam of green light coming from a circular device to its left, the doorway to the real Twilight Town. He turned his head aside and walked through the other door at the end of the room into the simulation chamber. He stared at the whirling green and black hole in the corner, remembering that he couldn't enter after he had fought Axel the last time he was in this room. His breath was moist and hot, and his eyes were twitching in anticipation. Roxas was about to enter when a voice called him back. He turned and saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette standing there, Naminé being held in Pence's arms.

"We felt we should see you off," Pence said as Roxas teared up. Olette stepped forward with her hands behind her back.

"We're still friends, even though we're only data. Right Roxas?" Roxas wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled out a blue crystal Sora had given him. He held it up and his three friends nodded at him. Roxas placed the crystal back in his pocket and turned towards the vortex again.

"See you soon," he called over his shoulder before stepping into the portal.

* * *

Roxas stepped into the streets of the World That Never Was, blanketed in their eternal night. He walked down the alley and glanced up as it opened to his left. It was his first view of the castle since his days as a member of the Organization and he could immediately identify Maleficent's personal touches. Roxas looked past the castle's silhouette at the yellow heart shaped moon. But something was different, the moon was only a third of its former size and tendrils of darkness were issuing from its center. A shadow passed over his face and Roxas saw the _Highwind_ pass over him. 

_Max._ Roxas hurried forward through the streets, drawing his keyblades as he ran. Unease grew on him as he wound his way around the dark corners. Sora had said that these streets had been crawling with heartless, and while Roxas was in the Organization they were filled with nobodies, but now, they were eerily empty. He turned a corner and saw the Skyscraper of Memory in front of him with the landing ramp of the _Highwind_ lowering. Underneath was a mass of people, one of which had spiky red hair. They parted into two sections and a path running down the middle in which a small figure with large round ears stood with his back to Roxas. His eyes hardened as he looked at the figure's back. _King Mickey._ He ran forward as Riku, Yuffie, and Max began descending from the landing ramp and Roxas placed the tip of the Sleeping Lion on King Mickey's neck.

"King Mickey," he said, "you have a lot of explaining to do." Within moments Roxas found an arrow, a pistol, several swords, and several staffs pointed at him.

"Roxas!" Axel shouted in jubilation, voicing the surprise of five of them. He pushed his way through the mob and batted away the weapons pointing at Roxas. Axel enveloped his friend in a bone-crushing hug that lifted the boy off of his feet. "I'm so glad to see you're okay," Axel mumbled into Roxas' shoulder before he realized they weren't alone and hastily placed Roxas back down on his feet. The boy was touched by his best friend's reception and looked fondly at him as he regained his 'cool' look. Max, Riku, and Yuffie descended the last foot of the ramp and were suddenly upon Roxas. Max looked up at the castle, then back at Roxas, scratching his head.

"How did you get here?" he asked. Roxas grinned as the score around him lowered their weapons.

"Sea turtles mate," Roxas replied before looking at King Mickey, whose back was still turned. "Now Your Majesty," he continued, boring holes through the back of the king's head, "why weren't we told about the Islands? Why weren't we told about our parents' deaths? Why were we not told that Maleficent wanted to turn Sora into a heartless? And who is this knight that Kairi is supposed to fall in love with?" King Mickey and the others started at his final question and the king spun around to face him.

"We don't know anything about the knight in the prophecy," Mickey said. "It could be anyone or someone we have never heard of yet."

"There is no way Kairi is going to break up with Sora," Riku said firmly. "Or vice versa. They've been through too much pain to break up now, especially since they're all they have now." Yuffie shook her head.

"You're wrong Riku," she said. "They don't only have each other, they have all of us."

"Not if I don't find out why we were all left in the dark," Roxas growled. King Mickey sighed and looked up at Roxas.

"You all weren't told anything," he sighed, "because I was an idiot." Roxas started at this and looked at King Mickey for the first time, with pity.

"I had thought that is the four of you knew anything about what Maleficent was doing or planning, that Sora would rush straight here and fight her without a plan, and would probably simply speed up her plans. Especially since that is what Maleficent herself anticipated." King Mickey fell silent, and Roxas looked sympathetically at the mouse, who seemed to shrink before his eyes. Mikcye wasn't even defending his actions, just simply waiting for Roxas to exlpode at him. Roxas knelt down slowly at Mickey's head and placed a hand on the monarch's shoulder.

"I forgive you Your Majesty," Roxas said. "We probably would have done just that, and Sora would be a heartless now."

"Aw, we don't know that," King Mickey responded, relieved that Roxas had forgiven him. "You guys might have actually succeeded." Roxas shook his head.

"You don't know how fast Cossex and Nixion captured us," he said. "It was over in under twenty seconds, despite everything kairi could do to keep us safe."

"Speaking of which," Donald quacked. "Where are Sora and Kairi?" Roxas looked down and placed his head in his hands, releasing his keyblades as he did so. Everyone was shocked that he remained solid, but they waited for him to answer the question.

"I don't know," he said shakily. "I can't contact him. I can sense Sora out there, somewhere, but it's very faint and too far away for us to reach each other." He fell silent and Max quickly posed a question.

"Then where's Naminé?" Roxas jerked his thumb back behind him.

"She's back in the virtual Twilight Town," he said. Intrigue perked up on the faces of five of them.

"What's the virtual Twilight Town like?" one of them asked. Roxas looked up and saw that the boy who was speaking was Hayner.

"Just like the real Twilight Town," he answered. "There's Seifer and his gang, and you guys. Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

"While Roxas was in there when DiZ made the program," Riku said, "he became best friends with you Hayner." Hayner balked at this news and looked at Roxas. His surprised look slowly shifted into one of understanding.

"So that's why," he said to himself in understanding. "That's why we felt we needed to see Sora off the first time. That's why we all seemed to know him when we first saw him. Because in a way, we did know him, and he knew us. That must also be why a tear leaked from his face when he got on the train." Roxas smiled.

"I was sad to see you guys go," he replied, shaking hands with Hayner. "I guess that reflected on Sora." He chuckled at Hayner and looked at the sword he had sheathed. Roxas pointed at the hilt and raised his eyebrow. "I hope you can wield that thing better than your counterpart can," he said. "He couldn't even beat a Samurai I had called to test him."

"What?" Hayner asked. "I wanted to go with you?" He stopped and placed a hand to his chin. "That sounded weird." Roxas laughed.

"Yes it did, but can you beat the Samurai?" He raised his hand and the same Samurai that had fought the virtual Hayner appeared. Hayner jerked his head at it as he unsheathed his sword, no sign of unease at the weight of the blade in his face, but a challenge at his opponent.

"Time to vent some revenge," he said, remembering when nobodies attacked him while he, Pence, and Olette had gone to the old mansion to look for Kairi. The Samurai unsheathed its katanas and moved forward first. Hayner dodged its lunge and elbowed it in the head. The nobody swooned backwards for a moment, shaking its head. It swung the flat of its blade at Hayner, who parried the strike. The Samurai recoiled and sat down, its weapons in front of it while it waited for Hayner to initiate the duel. The boy did and the Samurai rose and bowed before him. They stood facing each other for a moment and Hayner suddenly saw its weakness. He dashed forward in the blink of an eye and when he stopped he stood behind the nobody, his sword out on his extended right arm. The Samurai vanished into nothingness after it felt Hayner's cut. Hayner sheathed his sword artfully, twirling it around for a moment. The others clapped at Hayner's feat and Roxas smiled.

_He can fight,_ he thought. _That's good. But Maleficent is more powerful still._ Another thought struck his memory and he looked at King Mickey, aghast.

"I forgot!" he said. "Kairi got hit while she and Sora were escaping!" Everyone immediately stopped their celebrations and looked at Roxas in horror. Riku strode forward and grasped Roxas by his shirt collar.

"HIT?" Riku growled. "Hit by what?"

"Maleficent," Roxas replied grimly. Riku released Roxas with a slight shove and looked away. He knew all too well what Maleficent was capable of.

"Then it's time we dealt with her," Yazoo said, pointing his ornate pistol towards the floating castle. Roxas nodded and hurried forward with Riku, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Axel by his side; they were the only ones who had been in this world before. They met nothing as they wound through the streets until the Brink of Despair, the last segment of the city before the magical path to the castle. Axel took one looked at the floating fortress and elbowed Roxas.

"The Superior wouldn't like what Maleficent's done with his castle. Wouldn't you say?" Roxas laughed, relieved that his best friend could still find humour in these dark times. They entered the castle and unease settled on the group as they glanced around the white walls of the lowest section of the castle. If Maleficent had ben here they would have been bombarded by foes just to reach this point. Roxas cautiously led the way to Crooked Ascension, the room that would elevate them to higher levels of the castle. A black figure stood alone in the center of the rectangular elevator. It heard their approach and turned around. Towering above even Axel at seven feet, a black iron helm was on its head, black iron shield embossed with the heartless symbol in one of its sharp claws and a black longsword in the other Roxas and Max immediately recognized it as a Charr heartless. Roxas threw his hands back.

"Stop," he ordered quietly. "We've fought one of these before. This one is mine."

"Roxas be reasonable," Max countered. "It took the four of us to just bring down the last one. There is no way I'm letting you fight that thing alone." Roxas held Max back.

"We were small lion cubs and you were a wolf at the time," he said. "Not our normal selves. And besides," he turned around and called his keyblades, "I need to match Sora's count." Before he could step forward Axel laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Roxas," he said. "If you mean to do this, we won't be able to help you. It will be one on one, and the best will win. Please, let the best be you." Roxas removed his hand and glanced at the heartless.

"I am the best," he said, the Charr not phasing him in his confidence. "Got that memorized?" Roxas smirked and strode forward. A pink magical barrier formed behind him before it turned invisible. The Charr heartless snarled at him and Roxas twirled his keyblades in circles before readying them. Roxas matched the snarl with a glare of his own.

_For Naminé, _he thought before dashing forward.

* * *

_Well there you have it. Chapter XXIV, written at Space Camp. It really is harder to transfer stuff from paper as compared to just typing it up. As you can tell, this is part one. Part two gets us over to Sora and Kairi. And this also introduces us to part two of the whole story._

_Read and Review if you wish._

**_May the Grace of the Valar Protect You_**

_Shire Folk_


	25. Separation Part II

_Back again with another chapter. And I'm disappointed in you guys. Few of you even mentioned anything about the prophecy in your reviews. I was expecting a little something, but maybe that will have to wait until you guys check out the forum I made for the fic. Then you can all talk with each other about everything Kingdom Hearts, and The Fire in His Heart, related._

_Disclaimer: I really wish I owned Kingdom Hearts, especially after trying to explain it to several people at camp while they asked what my story was about or if I'd finished it yet._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXV: Separation Part II

Sora stared in horror at the empty alley in front of him, the portal of darkness he had traveled in vanishing mere moments before.

_Roxas please,_ Sora thought in shock as he realized he was alone. _If you can hear me please answer me._ But his attempt was met only by the reverberations of his thoughts inside his mind. Sora plopped down on the ground in defeat and began massaging his temples. He was also dead tired and had no clue how he had gotten that way.

_As if the situation hadn't been bad enough before,_ he thought. _The Islands, mom, Kairi's parents, my friends, maybe Riku, Maleficent's rise to power, and now Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé. Not to mention I don't have any ethers._ Sora sank his head in his hands and drew a ragged sigh. He thought he heard a sound and looked up. His head turned left and right, half expecting, half hoping that he would see a portal open and Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé would all come out, smiling broadly.

There was nothing on his left but the stone wall of the alley's end, but on his right the alley opened up roughly twelve feet away. There was a crowd of people just outside the alley, and in front of them was a wooden ship that appeared to be in the process of taking on a crew and supplies. Men could be heard singing from the vicinity of the ship. Their song attracted Sora's attention, and he listened.

_"It's sixteen hundred seven,_

_We'll sail the open seas._

_For Glory, God, and Gold and the Virginia Company._

_For the New World is like heaven,_

_And we'll all be rich and free._

_Or so we have been told by the Virginia Company."_

Sora stood up, swaggering slightly, and steadied himself as he surveyed the ship.

"Sailing to find a New World huh?" he asked himself. "They certainly are a whole lot more prepared than we were with our raft." He looked back behind him; still no portal. Sora's gaze shifted once more to the ship. "Since our voyage was cancelled thanks to the heartless," Sora continued as he bounded forward, "I think I'll take them up on that offer." Before he could even move four feet a warm wind descended upon him. The wind swirled around him, carrying a light, and Sora felt all the weariness flee from his limbs and his heart lift. A voice also emanated from it, and it remained in Sora's mind for countless years.

_The heart of light of a knight of great valor,_

_The Seventh Princess of Heart shall win._

_Of the child of their love's endeavor,_

_Light of Evil's bane lies within._

And another voice, one that he had heard in his waking mind and dreams several times, spoke.

_Fear not, young master of the keybldae._

_She is on this world, and will be healed of the hurt given to her long before you next see her._

The wind then flew out of the alley, bearing the light away. Sora dashed out to see where the light was going, and saw it linger over the ship's mast for a moment before speeding out to sea.

_Now I definitely need this voyage,_ Sora thought grimly. He made his way through the crowd, hearing the sounds of men giving orders and witnessing tearful farewells. He finally got up to the front of the crowd, and a man was sitting on a chair behind a desk. On the desk was a scroll, bottle of ink, and a quill. Sora could see that many names were already scribbled down. The man stood up as Sora approached to sign his name and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going lad?" he asked. Sora squinted up at him and got a good look at the man. He had a weathered face and an aged brown beard with strands of gray infiltrating and betraying his age, The man couldn't be more than forty-five, but his teal eyes bad in them a haunted look, as if they'd seen too many go before their time had come already.

His eyes were holding that dread now. The dread that one much too young would lose his life on this perilous voyage. Sora quaked, almost in reverence, at this man who was looking out for him without even speaking a word to him. But Sora needed to get on the ship. Kairi was waiting for him somewhere on the other side of this ocean.

"I'm, I'm going onto the ship," Sora stuttered at the man. He gave Sora a firm look.

"How old are you?" Sora was taken aback but quickly answered.

"Fifteen." The man narrowed his eyebrows at Sora, and looked strangely at his unnatural hairstyle and clothes.

"Do you're parents know you're here?" the man asked again. Sora balked at the question and hesitated a moment.

"My parents are dead," he said, loathe though he was to. Mac was technically dead, even though he lived aboard the _Dutchman_, but to say that statement Sora knew he was admitting what he had hoped most to not be true. A tear quietly welled up in his eye as the grief of loss assailed him again, but he was determined not to break down in front of this unknown sailor. The man nodded sympathetically at him, and his gruff exterior melted into a kind-hearted one, the hand on Sora's shoulder becoming comforting instead of firm.

"An orphan huh?" he said kindly, though secretly wondering how Sora would come across such strange clothes and appear so well fed if he was an orphan. Sora nodded and turned his head away. The more he dwelt on it, the more his resolve broke down. The man spoke again and Sora snapped his head back.

"What is your name?" he asked again.

"Sora." The man wrote it down on the scroll and nodded his head towards the gangplank. Sora made for it but was held back once more by the sailor's hand.

"I've seen too many die at sea," said he. "This is going to be dangerous, be careful." Sora nodded at him and muttered that he would. The sailor released his hand from Sora's shoulder and let him pass.

The ship's deck was a hive of activity. Men were coming aboard, cannons were being hoisted onto the deck, and supplies were being stowed in the cargo hold.

"John Smith?" he heard one man with a head of red hair ask. "Are you coming on this voyage too?" The man next to him slapped his shoulder.

"Course you ninny," he spoke with a Scottish accent. "You can't fight Indians without John Smith."

"That's right," a voice spoke. Sora searched for it and saw a blonde-haired man with a handsome face wearing a light blue shirt and pants rise over the railing on a cannon. "I can't let you boys have all the fun." Sora watched him leap down from the cannon and land flawlessly on deck. Sora smirked at him and turned his head away.

_That John Smith could be a pirate,_ he thought. A young man with bright red hair and a tweed hat had begun speaking to the other two men and Sora listened to their conversation.

"Captain John Smith?" the man had asked. "I've heard some amazing stories about him."

"Well now you're going to see 'em in person," the Scotsman said.

"What do you think we're going to find in the New World?" Sora asked, wanting to be included in the conversation. They all introduced themselves before continuing on.

"Well if there are any Indians," Lon, the first redhead, said, "we've got Smith to deal with them."

"I'm going to get myself a pile of gold," Thomas, the young redhead, rambled off as he shook Sora's hand. "Build myself a huge house, and if any savage gets in my way, I'll blast him."

"Uh-oh," Ben, the Scot, said as he looked over the rail. "Governor Radcliff is coming aboard." He motioned for them to form in line flanking the gangplank. "Form up maggots!" he ordered. Every man on deck quickly got into ranks on opposite sides of the plank. Sora quickly found himself shoved near the end of the line. The voice of John Smith called them to attention, and then muttered something that Sora couldn't catch. He heard heavy, booted footfalls and snapped his head forward, doing nothing but allowing his heart to beat, blinking his eyes, and breathing (A/N 1). After about ten seconds a large, fat man wearing a regal purple overcoat and hat with numerous trimmings of different colours and a red cape passed in front of him. Governor Radcliff stopped in front of Sora and surveyed him with disdain.

"Pathetic little one," he muttered to himself, audible to Sora though. "Hardly worth bringing along such a young orphan." Anger rippled and boiled within Sora's heart as it pounded in his breast. Yes, he was now an orphan, but he had fought creatures that would freeze this fat man's heart if he knew of them. But Sora chose not to act against this insolent Governor and instead glared forward into his bulk. John Smith then spoke something to Radcliff that destroyed Sora's anger and replaced it with curiosity.

"Sora here has my full confidence Governor," Smith had said. "I'm sure he's well up to handling this voyage."

"Well if you vouch for Smith then I'm sure he'll be able to do… something. Radcliff stopped and turned to his dog, Percy, he was being held on a cushion and wearing the same purple as his master. "Come Percy," he cooed to his dog. "Let us get ourselves accommodated." He turned to Smith and gave him the order to cast off before leaving the scene. The crew broke ranks and began making preparations to cast off. Smith began walking away fro Sora.

"Wait Captain Spar- Smith," Sora called, remembering with a pang his former captain. John Smith turned and looked at him.

"Yes Sora?" he asked.

"How do you know my name?" John smiled and turned his head.

"I like to know the names of everyone who goes with me," he explained and looked again at Sora. "And I like to get to know them personally," he continued before looking inquiringly at Sora. "But if you're wondering why I stood up for you in front of Radcliff, it's because I saw something different in your eyes."

"Different?" asked Sora. John raised his hand and waved it to indicate all the men on deck at the moment.

"All of the men here," he elaborated, "are here for either gold, adventure, freedom… a new life in a new world. But you, I see something different in your eyes. Not the gleam of fortunes or excitement, but you're still searching for something, and I can't quite put my finger on it." Sora nodded at Smith.

"A few words to remember," Sora said. "All that is gold does not glitter." John Smith looked inquiringly at Sora and he continued with a smirk. "Not all treasure is silver and gold mate." John Smith nodded in understanding and walked away. Sora looked out to sea as the ship's sails were unfurled. They filled up with wind and the ship made its way out to sea.

The waves crashed against the prow of the ship, reminding Sora so much of sailing on the _Black Pearl_, but his thoughts were not on the deceased captain that his friends were hopefully trying to bring back already; instead they were centered on a certain girl with auburn hair.

_The light said that she would marry a knight of valor,_ Sora thought glumly, a_nd that the knight would have no darkness in his heart. I'm not any of them._ He sighed shakily and drew his gaze away from the sea and dropped it to the wooden deck. A tear formed in his eye when the thought came to him.

_I'll never marry the girl I love,_ he thought in shock. He silently sobbed for a minute or two, images of Kairi smiling with her arms linked with a figure wearing shining armour and a shadowed face haunting him. He looked up for a moment at the sea again as another thought struck him. _That voice! It said that the next time I see her, Kairi would be healed._ He hung his head down again. A fire woke from the ashes in his heart, which before had seemed so cold.

_So that's why she didn't come out of the portal,_ he thought as his grip tightened on the railing he was holding onto. _Maleficent hurt her while we were escaping and we got separated. _He didn't realize that he was shaking and the wood under his fingers was splintering, droplets of blood oozing out of his fingers. _Oh she will pay. What?_

Sora felt the pain in his hands and looked down. He swore under his breath and healed his hands quickly with a cure spell, withdrawing them from the cracked railing. He examined his newly healed hands with shaky breaths before looking at the railing.

"My love did that?" he whispered to himself in disbelief. It was the first time he consciously realized just how powerful a stimulant love was, even their limit Lover's Leap hadn't caused him to notice yet.

_I may not marry her,_ he thought to himself sadly, but in a tone of finality. _I may not marry Kairi but I still love her with all my heart. And I'll keep her safe for whoever's destiny it is for her to wed._

_As soon as I find her that is…_

(A/N1: Cpl FitzGibbon's philosophy for drill. The only things you are allowed to do on your own on the parade square are Beat, Blink, and Breathe. Everything else, you are told to do.)

* * *

A young woman was paddling a birch bark canoe into a sheltered grotto. The woman had long raven hair and copper skin, and she was garbed in a dress of tanned hides.

Pocahontas' canoe spread its way through the veil of leaves of the large old willow tree, and she expected the stump in front of the tree to be empty, but it wasn't so.

Grandmother Willow was already awake and chanting something as she examined a girl lying face down on the stump. Pocahontas stepped out of her canoe and climbed onto the stump to get a better look at her, Meeko the raccoon and Flit the hummingbird following. The girl was the strangest Pocahontas had ever seen. Her skin was as the snow in her opinion, and hair the colour of red bark. The clothes she wore were unlike any she had seen either. Black as a black bear's fur on her torso, but from her waist came a strange flowing skirt of a hue of blue Pocahontas had never known existed. The girl seemed to be of fifteen, maybe sixteen summers, just a few less than herself. And there was a strange mark on her left shoulder.

"Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas asked as she looked in revulsion at the green mark that burned through part of the strange black hide the girl was garbed in, "what is it?" Grandmother Willow moved one of her vines to examine the mark.

"It's a burn," she replied immediately, almost to herself. "A magical burn. But who could have…" she left her question hanging and touched the burn with her vine. She winced heavily and withdrew the vine almost as soon as its leaves brushed against it. Faint black lines began pulsating in the green burn and Grandmother Willow looked grimly at them. She then spoke in a serious tone, not removing her gaze from the burn.

"Pocahontas," she said. "This girl has a very powerful enemy, and if it weren't for the strength that she possesses this malady would have already taken her and my power would be useless. I want you to go to the village and bring blankets and a few bowls. She must be kept both warm and comfortable if she is to heal." Pocahontas nodded and Grandmother Willow continued. "I will then ask you to find certain herbs of healing. Some of which are those that Kekata uses in medicine, but there is one he does not know of that may help." Pocahontas nodded again and left with Meeko and Flit. Grandmother Willow surveyed her path for a moment before turning her attention back to the girl before her.

The girl's fever has fierce and her heart was racing. She had begun to mutter in her restless sleep. Two words, "So," and "Ra." Grandmother Willow watched and waited for Pocahontas' return.

* * *

Roxas ran forward with his two keyblades outstretched, his face grim as he charged at the Charr heartless. It snarled at him and raised its black sword and barreled down at Roxas in answer. The black longsword met the Sleeping Lion's silver steel with a sharp clang and the swords locked. The Charr tried to overpower the small boy in front of it using its sheer mass, but Roxas held his ground and did not shrink before his opponent. Roxas saw the black shield start to move out of the corner of his eye and swung the Fenrir at the shield before the heartless could do what its counterpart in the Pride Lands did. Its shield halted and was flung wide at the force of Roxas' blow, but the heartless maintained a grip on it and instead bashed Roxas' head with its helmet.

For the second time that day Roxas felt as if his head had been cloven in two. He staggered backwards and the heartless knocked the Sleeping Lion out of his right hand with its sword. The Fenrir vanished from his left as the Charr hit his left arm and knocked Roxas down with its recovered shield. Roxas screamed in pain as he felt his arm break with a heart-breaking crack. He instinctively raised a reflega shield around him and held it up, forcing the heartless to prowl around outside the dome.

Roxas cradled his left arm near his chest, shaking the tears and sweat of pain from his face and flecks of blood off of his forehead where they could not stain his blonde hair. He knew now that it was foolish for him to try and fight the Charr alone. Barely a minute in and his left arm was already broken and the Charr was still unwounded.

Meanwhile havoc was ensuing on the other side of the barrier as Axel and Max pounded fruitlessly on it. Yazoo had fired a round from his pistol in an attempt to shatter the barrier, but the bullet simply stopped on impact with the magic and clattered to the ground.

"Roxas!" Axel was yelling. "You said you were the best! Come on, beat this thing!"

"We need to help him," Max said, turning to look at the others. "Dad do something! You said you've seen things like this barrier before!"

"Yes we have," Goofy said worriedly. "But we can't do anything about 'em."

"There are certain magics in the universe that we have no control over," King Mickey explained worriedly. "This is one of them. The only thing that can bring down that wall is for the duel to end. And we can only hope that it will be Roxas who ends it. But with that broken arm…" He forsook his sentence and looked past Axel's shouting figure at Roxas, who was still kneeling on the ground inside his self-made prison.

_It's all or nothing now,_ Roxas thought through gritted teeth, He stood up, cradling his left arm to his chest and wiped blood off his face with his right arm, the scarlet liquid glistening on his skin. The Charr growled at him from outside his shield and swung at it with its sword. The jet-black blade glanced off the dome just before it vanished. Pure blue magical energy appeared and exploded on the Charr's body. Wisps of smoke began trailing from its wounds as it retreated in pain. Roxas quickly took this moment to recall the Sleeping Lion to his right hand.

_I'll only have one shot at this,_ he thought grimly. He raised his arm and pointed the keyblade behind the heartless.

"Magnega," he said. The swirling gravimetric vortex appeared behind the heartless. It dug its claws into the floor to keep it from moving, but this also prevented it from attacking Roxas again. Roxas then released the second part of his plan with a cry of "Thundaga!" A thick lightning bolt came down from behind the magnet spell and the Charr heartless raised its shield defensively over its head. But because of the magnet spell's gravity the bolt of lightning arched as it passed towards the ground and buried itself into the center of the heartless' black chest. Roxas ran forward before the heartless could react to the sudden pain as his magnet spell abated. With a quick stroke he severed the Charr's shield arm. The black metal fell to the ground with a clang amid the pained roars of the heartless. Roxas' follow up strike to the chest was cut short when the Charr turned around and matched his blade with its own. Roxas leapt backwards to dodge a horizontal slice made for his ribs and pointed the Sleeping Lion at the heartless.

"You took out my arm I took out yours," he challenged, a fireball forming on the end of the silver keyblade's tip. "Now let's end this." The fireball flew off and the heartless allowed the fire to strike it in the chest, for it was the lesser of two evils. Roxas' keyblade was more dangerous than the fireball that had preceded it. The heartless swung downwards with all its mass as Roxas cut upwards and again the blades locked. Roxas held his ground for a second as the sparks from the initial clash illuminated his face. He dropped his sword from the challenge and pointed its blade inwards just as the heartless impaled itself on his keyblade. The beast gave a dying moan and vanished as its heart faded away.

Roxas panted heavily and fell down on his knees as the pain in his arm returned in full. He heard footsteps and everyone who had been watching was suddenly on him. Jubilant cries greeted him from all around, and he could briefly discern that Axel was hugging him, until someone touched his arm and he let out an agonizing shriek. The celebrations stopped dead and Donald stepped forward.

"Let me fix you up Roxas," the court magician said, already working his healing magic. Donald directed the green light from the end of his staff around Roxas' arm and head. The boy winced in pain as he felt the bones shift around, but his expression softened when he felt them squish back in place with a sickening sound. Roxas raised his right hand to his face and quickly used a cleaning spell to cleanse him of his own blood. When his face was clear he passed his right hand over his entire left arm and where his fingers danced above the skin a white cast took shape. He finished it all up with a sling and turned to look at Max, a tired smile finally forming on his lips.

"One for me Max," he chuckled. The other boy laughed weakly and looked at the shield lying on the ground.

"Want a trophy to remember it?" he asked. Roxas walked over to it and looked at the shield before picking it up.

"I think I'll give it to Naminé," he said. "It isn't only Kairi's birthday today." Riku snapped his fingers at Roxas' proclamation.

"That's what I forgot," he said with a slight chuckle. "I still need to get her a present." Yuffie looked horrified at him.

"Riku!" she snapped. "How could you forget one of your best friends' birthday?" He raised his arms defencively as those around him began to laugh and the elevator started moving upwards.

"Hey a lot has been happening lately, especially since my birthday just happened a few days ago as well," he retaliated with a wry smile. "I just lost track of the days I've spent with you." Yuffie's complexion softened and she wrapped herself into his shoulder. Riku held her comfortably for a few moments before she spoke.

"That was a smooth line," she commented quietly with her eyes closed and a sweet smile plastered on her lips. Riku raised his eyebrows slightly and widened his smile, but his position did not change.

"Thank you," he said, looking down affectionately at the new fingerless gloves he now had on his hands. Seventeenth birthday presents from Yuffie, they were black and had small iron studs over the back of the hand. The elevator stopped and they all looked towards the exit's long hallway with either anxiety or impatience. Riku glanced at Roxas, who was just finishing his modifications of the shield with Axel's help.

_Maleficent might be beyond that exit somewhere,_ Riku thought, a_nd she's bound to have plenty of those Charr heartless with her if she is. And with Roxas out of action,_ he glanced again at Roxas before hardening his aqua eyes.

_Roxas or no Roxas, we'll still fight her and win._ Riku released Yuffie and took the first steps forward, drawing Way to the Dawn from nothingness as he did so. King Mickey fell in step behind him and the others followed according to their liking, Disney Castle's knights marching in step to the left. Roxas brought up the rear of the column on the right with Naminé's new shield slung across his back.

The met nothing further as they continued through the castle, not even the moogle that used to run a hologram shop in the staircases of Twilight's View, until they reached the lower section of the Hall of Empty Melodies. Riku grinned at the sight he beheld even as he remembered that it was in this room that Sora, Kairi, and himself had all been reunited at last while fighting heartless, even if it was on the balcony above and in front of their current position.

The lower hall didn't have just one heartless, there was an entire sea of them. And all were of the weakest varieties with a few Invisibles as leaders, floating above the small fry. An arrow whizzed past Riku's ear as Kia's bow gave a low thrum. The arrow was gilded in silver, and guided by the need of the girl who released it. It struck home in the neck of a blue guard dog, which promptly turned into a puff of smoke.

"One," Kia said as she nocked another arrow into her bow. Anar, Isil, and Hayner ran past Riku with their swords drawn. Yazoo jumped into the air and his pistol gave three bangs. Three bullets left and destroyed two soldiers and an armored knight. He landed back on the ground as Tidus and Selphie ran past Riku's shoulder.

"Three," he declared to Kia as she loosed her second arrow. A shout from Isil came from ahead of them.

"Kia you just took my kill!" She smirked and strung another arrow to her bowstring.

"Hayner on your left!" Tidus called as he reached the fray and drove his crystal sword through three heartless. Hayner turned and blocked an attack from an armored knight before running it through.

"Thanks Tidus," he called before giving a laugh as he destroyed a soldier. "Five now!" They began fanning out from the narrow entranceway into the mass of the rectangular hall, each holding their own section of the battle as the rangers and mages out back held onto the causeway. Riku, Yuffie, Axel, Mulan, Mushu, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy, and the knights of Disney Castle all hung back in reserve, with Roxas at the very back shouting encouragement for the untested fighters up front.

"Chalk another one up for me," Anar said as his sword swept through the Invisible that had come down to challenge him. But it didn't vanish as his sword left and instead attacked Anar with its own blue blade. The teen gave a yelp of surprise and ducked. A crackle of thunder sounded and the Invisible vanished just as the sword passed over his golden hair. Anar lifted his head as Olette called to him.

"You mean one for me Anar!" Anar turned to look at the girl.

"You just stole my lucky number seven Olette!" he hollered back at her with a smile as he passed his sword through two more heartless, bringing his count up to eight now. Olette sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Next time I won't save your neck then," she pouted. Isil drove his sword through another heartless and was about to attack another soldier when a silver arrow stuck into it and destroyed it before he could begin.

"Dam it Kia!" he yelled. "You stole my kill again!" He turned his sword to thrust it through an armored knight when a spiked black blitzball struck it first. "Wakka!" he cried in anger when the ball bounced back to its owner. Isil moved to kill a surveillance robot, but it too was destroyed by a bullet before his sword could connect with it. "Yazoo not you too!" he cried before attempting to fight again, but an arrow beat him to his quarry. "Bloody rangers," he muttered to himself in frustration. Selphie blocked an attack from an armored knight and countered with a horizontal slice of her own that rendered it and the heartless next to it defeated.

"Ten," she said as she pumped her fist. She recoiled as a soldier kicked her in the shoulder and gave a small cry of dismay. Her eyes sought it out and saw the enemy clacking away in its iron boots gleefully. A grim smile formed on her lips and she thrust her sword straight through its helmet. The heartless vanished and Selphie examined her shoulder. She could see where the attack had landed, a rip in her white shirt indicating the place, and Selphie touched it lightly with her finger to find that it stung as well as throbbed with a dull pain. _That's going to be one hell of a bruise when I wake up in the morning._ She looked up quickly and ducked the guard dog that was jumping at her head. A fireball smashed its way into the dog and Selphie felt her brown hair get singed slightly as the heartless vanished. A call from Mushu in the back clearly showed that he had now joined into the fight and was the cause for the heartless' demise.

Tidus swiped his sword through three more heartless in a broad arc and smirked as their remains floated in the air. He looked up and saw one of the remaining three Invisible leaders moving to face him. The boy readied himself in a fighting stance, remembering the honor guard he had fought once before on the Islands. He raised his sword to challenge the Invisible and the other heartless backed off in their leader's wake. The Invisible floated up to Tidus and swung its sword down, and Tidus matched it with the Brotherhood. They retreated their swords and the Invisible swung again, this time horizontally. Tidus remembered Axel and Mulan's words from back in Twilight Town and ducked. As the sword passed over him Tidus pressed forward and drove his crystal blade up through the heartless' body. It recoiled and leaked out its precious darkness before becoming an entire puff of it when Tidus slashed it once more.

"Fifteen," he declared before readying himself against the next wave of small fry. Ice shards flew into the paths of several of the heartless and Tidus nodded appreciatively behind his back at whichever mage had done that. Pence was waving his staff at him so Tidus figured it had to have been him.

"That's twelve for me now guys," Pence remarked tiredly. "I don't think I can do anymore. How about you Charlie?" The boy next to him shook his wavy blue hair out of his eyes.

"I've got fourteen, and I'm beat." Charlie looked around at Olette and Jeffery. The girl looked up at him with her green eyes from her hunched over position while Jeffery continued to fire spells into the mass.

"I don't think I can go another heartless past twelve," Olette said before looking inquiringly at Jeffery. "How can you still be going Jeff?" Jeffery looked as though he didn't hear the question.

"Fire!" he yelled as a fireball streamed from his small mage's staff. The fireball connected with one of the remaining Invisibles as it dueled with Isil. The heartless promptly vanished and Isil gave a cry of dismay at having his kill stolen yet again. "Ha, eighteen now. What did you say Olette?" He turned around and the other three mages could see he was still going strong, a fire burning in his eyes.

"I asked," Olette began again with a small smile on her face, "how you can still keep fighting while the rest of us are dead tired." Jeffery closed his blue eyes for a moment and opened them again.

"I practiced more than you guys at our new house," he said, the fire reappearing not only in his eyes but on the tip of the red wizard's hat that topped the staff as well. He turned around and surveyed the heartless with hate as another fireball from Mushu past him by. "These creatures destroyed my home and killed my friends," Jeff continued hotly. "It is for them that I continue to draw new strength and fight." He released another fireball and it smacked into a shadow that was about to attack a tiring Hayner. Pence, Olette, and Charlie looked at him in wonder before getting up and charging into the fray to fight in melee. Jeff smirked at them as they passed and shot a few bolts of lightning to clear their paths as another arrow joined in while Kia's bow sang. "Twenty-three," he said with a smirk.

Riku had heard all of this, along with the others that hung in the back, and looked over at the tiring teens in the front. They were fighting valiantly against the heartless, but Kia had loosed her last arrow and was now standing idly with Yazoo who had exhausted his clips a while ago. Wakka continued to throw in his blitzball with gusto and Mushu and Jeff continued their elemental barrage, but they were the only ones who appeared to have energy left apart from the idle ranger and gunman. Riku turned to look back at King Mickey and Goofy looked at him as well.

"Do we have permission to engage Your Majesty?" Goofy asked, signifying him and his knights. King Mickey looked warmly at him as Yuffie pumped her fist.

"Yeah, let's get in there," Yuffie said excitedly. "They've had enough fun."

"Yuffie?" The ninja turned around at Kia's voice and looked at the girl.

"Yes, what is it Kia?" Kia shuffled her feet slightly and looked back at the heartless as she slung her bow over her shoulder.

"Could I borrow your dagger?" she asked. Yuffie smiled and unsheathed it from her belt, looking over its slightly curved and shining white blade with its golden handle. Yuffie walked up to the girl and pointed its handle at Kia. Riku turned away and looked at King Mickey again. The King looked at him in understanding as keyblades appeared in both their hands.

"Let's go!" the King said, sprinting forward. Donald, Goofy, Axel, and Mulan seemed thrilled of the idea.

"Charge!" yelled Axel, his fiery spiked chakrams appearing in his hands as he ran forward, leading on Mulan and Donald while Goofy and his knights brought up the rear. Riku gave one look at Roxas and Max before turning around.

"You coming?" Riku asked over his shoulder.

"I just took out a Charr heartless," Roxas said. "That's worth more than all of these ones combined. That still wouldn't stop me apart from the fact that, I'm injured." Riku turned and smirked at Roxas, who was patting his cast with his remaining arm.

"And you'd still be able to fight off a thousand of them with only one arm," he challenged. Roxas smiled at his playful banter.

"Yes, but you see," Roxas yawned and pulled his right arm back to rest behind his head. "I do take after Sora in some aspects, number one, I'm lazy." Riku laughed and shook his head.

"We only need one 'lazy bum' in the group," he said. "And Kairi's the only one who calls him that." Roxas laughed back at him while Max chuckled along. Riku's eyes snapped towards the other boy.

"And why aren't you coming?" he asked Max. Max just waved off Riku and smiled.

"I'll switch off when one of you lot gets tired," he said before poking Roxas in the stomach. "And I'm sure lazy ass here will too, so get going." Riku turned around and started heading towards the fight while he heard Roxas.

"Lazy ass? You sure you don't want a repeat of Neverland right here, right now Max?" Riku laughed to himself as he sped by Jeffery, Mushu, Yazoo, and Wakka. He looked to his left as he entered the fray and saw a column of fire erupt from the ground as Axel got into his pyromaniac self. With two quick slashes from Way to the Dawn Riku destroyed six heartless that stood in his way. He jumped over their floating hearts and fired a volley of dark aura blasts into the remaining mass, taking out at least twelve more. King Mickey was bounding left and right, his golden keyblade a flash as heartless fell to his blade. Mulan was regrouping the teen warriors and helping them make a clean-up operation of the remaining heartless in the room. Yuffie's shuriken twirled in front of Riku, tearing up a path to the exit for him as she and Kia, who had picked up all of her fallen arrows and now had one nocked on the bowstring, arrived on his right. Goofy and his knights had formed up on his left and Donald was standing next to the captain.

"Let's go," Riku said, making his way for Naught's Skyway. Someone called for him to wait up and Roxas and Max came dashing up to them.

"I got bored of just watching you guys fight," Roxas explained as he called out the Sleeping Lion and swung it through the last heartless in the area. He looked at its rising heart in disinterest. "Hm, one and one hundredth." Roxas shouldered his keyblade and the party moved forward.

The Skyway was packed with heartless too, but the keyblade wielders weren't worried about them. They were more concerned about Tidus and the others who had fought in the front since the beginning. The warriors looked like they had just run a marathon through bushes and thorns, while the mages with the exception of Jeffery, just looked plain exhausted.

"You guys can hang back and rest," King Mickey said to Anar, who was leaning on his broadsword. "We'll handle the skyway." Anar and his brother gave their thanks to the King as Goofy's knights formed up into the formation known as the Flying Wedge with Goofy at the head brandishing his shield.

"CHARGE!" Goofy yelled and the wedge ran forward. Heartless vanished in their wake as it flew towards the first platform, and then rounded the bend and stared moving up the slope. Lightning bolts, courtesy of Donald, Jeffery and Roxas, fell about it, destroying heartless without mercy. Riku and Max leapt forward, wielding their weapons in a refined manner, any heartless that approached were instantly slaughtered. The bow of Kia, silver vines trailing around the wood, was singing as arrow after arrow was once again loosed from it. Kia pulled another arrow from her quiver and stabbed an armored knight through the head with it before nocking it to her bow and shooting it off. King Mickey was leaping and bounding about, hewing heartless down with his golden keyblade. The knights broke their wedge and formed a phalanx, slowly advancing against the mob in their unbreakable formation. Axel's fire was scorching.

They continued fighting through to the top of the skyway, and then beyond into the Hall of Empty Melodies again. A short reprieve awaited them in the Proof of Existence, where it showed the names of the lower twelve members of Organization XIII and silhouettes of their weapons in either red or blue. Nearly all were in red as they entered, but two were blue. Axel and Roxas walked around this place with reverence, treating it like a graveyard in all aspects. They stopped before one of the blue ones and looked down at the two black chakrams on it.

"Here's me," Axel said. "The Flurry of Dancing Flames. Only Xemnas could come up with a name as crazy as that." Roxas chuckled and indicated the red one to Axel's right.

"What about Demyx? He thought up his own name. The Melodious Nocturne?" Axel laughed as well and looked down to the far end across the path in the middle.

"And there's your marker," he said, talking about the blue one at the end with a silhouette of a crossed Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "Number Thirteen, the Key of Destiny." Roxas nodded and moved down near his marker while the others watched the two former members of Organization XIII stroll down memory lane.

"And then we have Larxene," Roxas said, stopping in front of another red one with many small knives on it. "The Savage Nymph." Axel nodded.

"The only chick in the former Organization," he said before smiling. "She was hot."

"Your words, not mine," Roxas laughed. Axel quickly leaned over and grabbed a fistful of Roxas' hair.

"Come on," Axel said as he yanked Roxas towards him. "You know she was sizzling." Roxas laughed at his friend and got himself out of the headlock he was now in.

"Alright you win!" he declared with a smile. "Larxene was hot, but I never tried to hit on her. Have you still got that burn and those scars by the way?" Axel's smile faltered and he quickly looked over his shoulder down at his rear end. Roxas laughed when he remembered the time Larxene had fried Axel's hinny with her lightning and then attacked his upper thighs with her knives the last time he had tried to hit on her.

"Hey, that was all because of that note," Axel grumbled. "When I found out who wrote it I swear I'm going to..." he left his comment hanging while his fist curled. They continued their reminiscing for a few more minutes before the King motioned that they should continue.

There were still some heartless on Naught's Approach and throughout Ruin and Creation's Passage as the party made their way up to the Altar of Naught, but still no sign of Maleficent or Nixion. They moved forward slowly up the curved staircase, looking uneasily at the size of the thorns that grew over the edge and the fact that there were no heartless there. A voice called out to them and Riku looked up at the first landing.

PJ was standing there, holding in his hands a ray gun that had formerly belonged to number II, Xigbar, The Freeshooter. Max gave a jubilant cry upon seeing his friend again and rushed up to give him a hug.

"I thought you might have been dead!" he said. "With all the heartless and no sign of anyone I thought they might have gotten you." PJ patted his friend's back.

"You don't need to worry about me Max," PJ said. "I can defend myself, especially with these lovely ladies at my side." PJ turned his head when Max looked inquiringly at him and began moving up the remaining stairs. The party followed him, and the group from the Islands all gasped at what they saw.

"This is the same platform Sora and Kairi were standing on in the simulator!" Selphie gasped as she looked around. Riku looked at her and shook his head.

"No, that was a simulation of the Altar of Naught," he explained. "This is the real one, and there are quite a few differences now. For instance," Riku turned around and lifted his arm and began speaking like a tour guide. "No door to Kingdom Hearts to battle Xemnas. There are these wonderful new thorns everywhere, and the heart-shaped moon here is now whole and appears to be only a quarter of its original size. Plus it also has this lovely keyhole shaped portal of darkness on it." Riku hardened his gaze on the keyhole as it spilled tendrils of darkness onto the Altar and down the sides of the castle, feeding the thorns and making them pulsate. The six princesses were gathered around the keyhole, a light coming from their hands that encircled the moon but could not stop the darkness. Jasmine turned around and looked worriedly at King Mickey.

"This keyhole is far stronger than the one that had been in Hollow Bastion," she said. "We can't stop the spread of darkness from it. All we've been able to do is contain a small percentage of the heartless that have been coming out to the upper levels of the castle." King Mickey nodded and PJ spoke up.

"Maleficent let slip once that the keyhole would only be able to be sealed by the combined powers of three keyblades," he said. Roxas, Riku, and Mickey nodded.

"Three keyblades," said Roxas as they came into a line to face the moon.

"Like the three keyblades it took to open the door to Kingdom Hearts the last time we were here," King Mickey mused as they pointed the tips towards the keyhole and a light began forming around them.

"And now we seal it," Riku said. "For good." The princesses dropped their barrier for a moment and a great wave of darkness erupted from the keyhole. Beams of light issued from the three keyblades and pierced the center of the darkness. The keyhole illuminated from the middle of the darkness and there was an audible click as it faded away. The darkness dissipated, and when it was gone, so was the moon. Axel looked in interest at where it had been.

"Okay," he said to Roxas. "Xemnas would not like the fact that we took away his moon." Roxas chuckled but was immediately silenced by King Mickey who was interrogating PJ on all he knew about what was going on concerning Maleficent.

"Okay," PJ said. "This is what the princesses and I know. The last we saw Maleficent, she had just attacked Kairi with a magical green fireball issuing with darkness. Sora and Kairi were escaping through a portal created by Cossex."

"Wait! Cossex!" Riku interrupted. "What was she doing helping them?"

"She had just defected because Maleficent failed her promise to Cossex," PJ explained. "Which appeared to be the only thing keeping her in Maleficent's service."

"What was that promise?" Yuffie asked.

"Her heart," PJ replied grimly. "So she could go back to her world and fight with her friends to defend their kingdom against the Charr." Max snapped his head up.

"The Charr?" Max asked. "You mean her world is plagued by the heartless?" PJ shook his head.

"No, I mean the Charr, which Maleficent is using to breed Charr heartless. The heartless version is apparently slightly bigger, but far nastier. Anyway, Cossex has defected, and Sora and Kairi both headed off to a different world, probably one that we know nothing about. But we can't defeat Maleficent now without defeating her allies or without cleansing them of darkness. That's what Cossex said anyway. Fortunately, I was able to get the names out of her allies before I found out that at least Cossex knew I was a spy for you the whole time." King Mickey started.

"She knew you were spying for me?" he asked. "How?" PJ shrugged.

"Beats me how she knew," he said. "But Maleficent has given a shred of her newfound powers to each of her allies to allow them to control the heartless. And as I said, she's invincible until the power she gave them is gone." Axel rubbed his palms together impatiently.

"Well tell us who they are so we can get started." PJ looked at him.

"Okay, since you're so eager, why don't you get out a pen and piece of paper to write this down?" Axel fumbled around in his cloak for a moment and successfully retrieved a pen and paper. He licked the pen and poised to start writing when Yuffie snatched them from him.

"You think you're going to write them down?" she asked incredulously. "I've seen your writing, it's a worse chicken scratch than any doctor I've seen." Axel huffed while a chuckle permeated the silence. Yuffie poised herself to start. "Okay, fire away PJ."

"Hm, fire away. Who does she think she is…?" Axel muttered under his breath.

"Okay," PJ said. "Number One, Nixion. I'm afraid he got the most power from her being her second in command. Number Two, my dad Pete. Three is a witch by the name of Jadis, who goes also by the White Witch or Queen of Narnia. Number Four is an old friend of yours, Hades, Lord of the Dead. Five is Dr. Hämsterviel. He's some kind of hamster bunny thing. And Six would be something called the Dark Lord Sauron, and his servant Saruman probably has been infused with Maleficent's power as well. I don't know about Saruman, but Sauron seems to be a disembodied spirit of some kind and he keeps going on about some One Ring or whatever." PJ then stopped and remembered something Sauron's voice had spoken while PJ had been eavesdropping at the door.

"_Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,_

_Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,_

_Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,_

_One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne_

_In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie._

_One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them._

_One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them._

_In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."_

PJ stopped and looked up at the assembled group expectantly, as if hoping that they would understand the poem any better than he could.

"Okay," Anar began. "That guy's a kook, but he's probably going to be the hardest to beat apart from Maleficent herself and Nixion." PJ nodded.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," he said sadly. "Especially since Maleficent always admired his powers and was thrilled that he came to her meetings. I'm pretty sure that when she left and took her army with her that she relocated to his fortress of Bara-dûr." Silence fell for a moment and King Mickey sighed and shook his head.

"I guess we're at war with her then," he said. "I always dreaded this day would come when I remembered about her. Now it's the worlds against her, and we don't have an army to fight her with."

"Hey what about us?" Tidus asked. "We could be your army." King Mickey smiled at him.

"Its a good thing we still have hope left then," he muttered to himself. "If young people like you continue to fight Tidus," Mickey said, raising his voice so they could hear. "Then I'm sure she will be defeated by the hope you have. But the twelve of you alone won't be enough. The heartless we just faced were just a small fraction of those that were coming out of the keyhole for only a couple of hours. We haven't even won a skirmish yet." King Mickey looked over at Roxas, his plans beginning to formulate. "Roxas, take them back to the virtual Twilight Town with you and get them back to the real Twilight Town. They're about the only ones we have with any combat experience so I need them to train others as well as each other." Roxas nodded and began to walk away but Mickey stopped him. "And Roxas."

"I know you want to jump back in the fray," the King said, "but with your arm and without Sora we need you to be at full strength for our search for those allies. Take two weeks off with Naminé for that arm to heal and oversee the training in the real Twilight Town. I'm afraid I'll need to pull Axel, Mulan, and Mushu off of that." Roxas sighed, disappointed that he wouldn't be fighting again any time soon and led the way for the teen army to head back. King Mickey turned to the others.

"Donald," he ordered. "I want you, Goofy, PJ, and the knights to escort the princesses back to their worlds."

"But what about you, King Mickey?" Goofy asked. "How are you gonna get back to the castle?"

"You will drop myself, Axel, Mulan, and Mushu off at Disney Castle on your way. When you've finished, come straight back to the castle for your new assignments." The princesses nodded, understanding the importance, and dragged off those who were supposed to be escorting them before they could get a word in edgewise. King Mickey turned lastly to Riku, Yuffie, and Max and sighed. Riku held a hand up before he could speak.

"You don't need to tell us Mickey," he said. "You want us, tired and with heavy hearts though we are, to go out on the _Highwind_ and begin the search." Mickey nodded and the three took off. He then sighed again and let Axel, Mulan, and Mushu lead him back to the _Avenger._

_I never wanted to have to be a King during a war,_ he thought. _Hopefully we will have solved this before it goes too far._

* * *

Roxas was back in the virtual Twilight Town, the tired lot of teenagers behind him. They had just exited the portal and Roxas saw Pence sitting down cross-legged near the door with his eyes closed. Roxas ran forward as the real Pence looked between his virtual self and his own self in shock.

"Pence," Roxas said, rubbing the shoulder of the sleeping boy. The virtual Pence awoke and rubbed his eyes. He smiled upon seeing Roxas standing in front of him.

"Hey Roxas," he said cheerfully. "Hayner put me on watch duty until you got back while he and Olette got to sleep. Looks like I fell asleep waiting for you to come back." Roxas chuckled and Pence spotted his cast and sling. "Hey Roxas, what did you do to your arm?" Roxas looked at it and back at Pence.

"Broke it fighting a heartless," Roxas said, dragging Pence to his feet. Pence looked worriedly at it before spotting the crowd of people who had just come out of the portal.

"Hey Charlie," Pence called. "Hey Yazoo." The aforementioned teens started when they heard him call their names.

"Pence?" Hayner asked exchanging looks with his Pence and the virtual Pence. The virtual Pence looked at him in surprise and was about to call his name too when he spotted his real self and it dawned on him.

"Ah," he said. "So you guys are from the _real_ Twilight Town." The group nodded and Pence continued. "What's it like?"

"Well, it should be just like this one," Olette said. "Except when the Islands were destroyed by Maleficent, a whole bunch of refugees moved over to the real Twilight Town. Including our friends Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Anar, Isil, Kia, and Jeffery here. So we know _everybody_." Roxas and Pence nodded at her and noticed that half of them were nodding and yawning.

"Pence," Roxas said tiredly. "I need to get these guys home. Where's Naminé? I need to see her first before I head back." Pence nodded at him and smiled.

"Follow me," he said, opening the door. They walked past the broken computer, which Hayner, Pence, and Olette from the real Twilight Town looked at in wonder.

"Yeah, I kind of got angsty and angry at everything when I did that," Roxas said when he saw their looks. Pence led them out of the computer room and through the library, where they tread quietly because Hayner and Olette were sleeping soundly. They got out into the main hall and Pence took them to Naminé's room. It was all white, and drawings that Naminé had made concerning Sora and Roxas were plastered on the walls. A white couch had been added near the window, on which Naminé was sleeping soundly. Roxas smiled and he walked up to her, the others watching with smiles on their faces. Roxas knelt by her and shook her shoulder slightly.

"Naminé," he said softly, not really expecting her to answer, "wake up." To his surprise, Naminé squirmed a little and her eyes opened. She yawned and stretched as she closed her eyes again and they grew in surprise when they opened again. The shield Roxas had won from the heartless was being held in his right hand. It was still circular, but it was no longer black and did not have the heartless symbol on it anymore. The shield was now a steely-blue colour, and the shape of the pendant Roxas wore on his chest was embossed in silver.

"Happy sixteenth birthday Naminé," he said, handing her the shield. Naminé's eyes grew even wider when she took it and examined the shape in the center.

"Where did you get it?" she asked, not noticing the crowd near the door. Roxas laughed.

"I went back to Maleficent's castle and won it from a Charr heartless in a duel. It took out my arm so I claimed its shield arm and shield, which with Axel's help changed it into what it is now." Naminé looked at his arm for a second and quickly bashed the shield against his head. Roxas dropped to the ground unconscious as jaws dropped in shock from across the room.

"Idiot," Naminé said quietly, but sweetly. "I like the shield though, I think I'll keep it." She looked up and noticed the stunned crowd standing in the doorway and blushed. "You all saw that?" she asked. They nodded in amazement at her; slightly wary and afraid she might attack them next. Naminé waved her hand in Roxas' direction.

"Oh don't worry about him," she said. "Roxas will be alright. He's been through worse. Now then," she looked again at the group and saw the two Pences and understood in a heartbeat what was going on. "Those of you from the real Twilight Town can follow Hayner, Pence, and Olette, they should have seen the beam in the computer room and understood what it was. They'll get you guys back home." Hayner booked it out of the room, the others following in his wake. When they were gone Naminé looked down sweetly at Roxas, who was now simply asleep instead of unconscious. She got down and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Sometimes you are a real idiot Roxas," she chided quietly to his sleeping figure. "Fighting a Charr heartless alone." A tear grew in her eye and she looked out the window into the starry sky. "Kairi, I really hope you're okay. And that Sora will become your knight somehow. It would break both Roxas' heart and my own if you two weren't really meant to be."

* * *

_Chapter XXV… done. Now I hope you all enjoyed it and check out the forum I made. BTW, there was (at least for me) huge foreshadowing that Middle-Earth would be involved in this, which I'll leave to you guys to figure out._

_Leave a review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You** _

_Shire Folk._


	26. Opening Skirmish

_Sorry about the lack of updates everyone, but my life and parents kind of got in the way of writing. Have you ever tried stripping 20 some odd year old wallpaper that's been up longer than you've been alive? DON'T! Just tear down the wall, and put a new one up. It's less hassle, and cheaper._

_Disclaimer: Do I even need this anymore? Ah well, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Disney or Square, or anything else for that matter._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXVI: Opening Skirmish

Roxas awoke the next morning right where he had fallen on the floor. As his blue eyes opened they suddenly closed again when he felt the dull, throbbing pain on the top of his head. Roxas let out a sharp gasp and tried to move his left arm to rub his head, only to find that his arm was far less maneuverable this morning than it had been the day before. A voice spoke out of the darkness of his closed eyes.

"Oh, so you're awake now." Roxas opened his eyes again and sat up, rubbing his head with his right hand. He swiveled his head in the direction of the voice and saw Naminé sitting on one of the two white chairs at the head and foot of the long white table that took up the majority of the room. She was eating breakfast, as Roxas could tell from the smell of eggs and hash browns and the sound of her clattering fork. Roxas stood up, swaying slightly, and saw a second plate set next to her, the chair that had been at the foot now moved in front of the plate. There were also three more chairs and plates set around them, with tinfoil covering the plates to keep the food inside nice and hot, and there was a carton of orange juice and glasses at each place setting as well.

"Why did you have to hit me with the shield Naminé?" Roxas asked, his voice showing hurt as he moved to take his seat and begin eating. "It hurt." Naminé smirked at him as he plopped down in his seat.

"Because you were an idiot," she said calmly. Roxas gaped at her before his forkful of scrambled eggs (with a liberal addition of pepper) could reach his mouth. Naminé looked pointedly at his left arm as she chewed on a piece of breakfast sausage. She swallowed and continued, pointing her fork at the cast and sling. Roxas looked down at it as she started talking again. "You fought a Charr heartless _alone_. It took the four of you to bring down the first one." Roxas was about to protest through his mouthful of egg but the look on Naminé's face, a tear welling up in her eye, was enough to keep him quiet. "It took _four_ of us, and you all got minor injuries from it. You fought this one alone, you were lucky it only broke your arm." Roxas sighed and looked down at his plate in shame so he wouldn't see her face. "You could have died Roxas," Naminé continued. "Then what would have happened? How do you think Sora would have felt if you were killed?" She stopped and Roxas cringed at her next words, so quiet but packed with emotion. "How do you think _I_ would have felt?"

"I…" Roxas began, unsure of just what was going through his mind at the time, "wasn't thinking. I think." Naminé relieved some of the tension with a slight giggle and Roxas looked up at her. Her eyes were slightly puffy, but she was at least smiling. "I guess I just wanted to match Sora's count," Roxas continued, a half-smile on his face. "He finished off the last one, so… I wanted this one. And I think I also wanted to vent a little of my anger at Maleficent for doing so much to hurt us all. I was already thinking of Anne as my own mother after those weeks back on the Islands, and now…" he stopped and sighed, holding his head in one hand as Naminé did as well.

"I know what you mean," she said. "Janet was such a good mother. She really understood what Kairi and I were going through when Seymour kept us from going out to see you guys. Speaking of Kairi," Naminé looked up from her meal and out the window again, "I really hope she's okay."

"You can't contact her either?" Roxas asked, starting to eat again. Naminé shook her head.

"I don't even think she's awake yet," she said. "But when she does wake, I hope she won't drop Sora. The prophecy only said that she'd win the heart of a knight of valor, not that the knight would win her heart." Roxas looked up at her in intrigue.

"How'd you know of the prophecy?" he asked through a mouthful of hash browns. "You weren't awake when it showed up on the wind."

"I heard it in a dream," Naminé said. "And I don't believe for a second she'll be able to drop Sora. She can't, I know her mind." Naminé looked expectantly at Roxas, waiting for him to confirm her suspicions, but he simply sighed.

"If I know Sora and luckily I do," he said slowly, "he'll think only of Kairi and keeping her safe. So he'll let her go to keep her out of danger. Sora won't be able to see a clear future for himself anymore, but there will be one for Kairi, and he'll try to make sure she gets it, even if he isn't in it." Naminé scowled and banged her fist on the table.

"How can he be so stupid?" she snarled. "He and Kairi are made for one another! He went on one journey across the worlds just to find her! Then on another one to find Riku, and then rescue Kairi! Can he be selfish for once in his life?" Roxas shrugged.

"DiZ once said I should share some of my hatred with Sora," he said. "Maybe I need to share more than a little anger with him." Roxas stopped and Naminé sighed exasperatedly and grasped her fork.

"If they come here," she said in frustration, "and they aren't together. I'm going to smack him!" She viciously stabbed her last piece sausage and shoved it in her mouth.

"What's this about smacking someone?" Roxas looked over his shoulder at the door, where Hayner, Pence, and Olette were standing. Hayner had spoken, and was now moving towards one of the chairs next to Roxas while Pence and Olette headed over to Naminé's other side. Hayner removed the foil cover on his plate and looked hungrily at the food.

"Oh," Roxas said with a smile. "Naminé was just saying that if Sora and Kairi managed to come here and they weren't, you know, together by the time they got here, she'd smack Sora." Pence looked up from his plate and looked at Naminé as he sat down.

"Really?" he asked. "With your hand, or would you pull a last night and hit him with your new shield?" Naminé blushed slightly and looked at Roxas.

"Hitting him with the shield would have its merits," she said unashamedly. "Then it would have hit two idiots." Olette laughed and looked at her.

"So are they not together now?" she asked. Naminé and Roxas shook their heads.

"Oh they're together all right," Roxas said. "We just hope that by the time we next see them they'll still be together." Naminé nodded sadly and Olette looked between the two of them, Hayner and Pence oblivious due to their eating.

"So, there is a chance they'll break up?" Olette asked. "Are they… not… in love?"

"They are," Naminé replied. "But Sora's a moron and Roxas says he may drop the relationship because of that stupid prophecy."

"What's this prophecy?" Pence asked, taking a sip of orange juice. Roxas sighed and recounted it for the group, who took it in with wide eyes.

"So evil won't be truly defeated until this kid of Kairi's does it then?" Hayner asked. Naminé nodded.

"Looks like it," she said. "And because Sora isn't a knight, and his heart isn't full of light, he'll think he isn't the one destined to be with Kairi. So Roxas believes he'll call it off because Kairi has a future and a destiny to fulfill."

"But he'll never stop loving her," Roxas quickly interjected. "I can't say if he will be hurt or not, seeing Kairi in another's arms, but I know I'd be hurt if I saw Naminé in love with someone else." He smiled at her and they shared a quick kiss in front of the three. Olette sighed dreamily and looked at Hayner, who was gazing obliviously at Roxas and Naminé, shaking his head. Hayner glanced at his watch and let out a cry of distress.

"Dam!" he said, attracting their attention. "It's Monday! We've gotta get to school!" He suddenly groaned and shook his head. "My mom's going to kill me when I get home to pick up my stuff! I didn't tell her or dad I was spending the night here. She probably worried herself sick!"

"Crap," Pence said under his breath, "my parents too."

"Me too," Olette said as they hurriedly got up. She stole a glance at Roxas, who was sharing a sad look with Naminé. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Remember what I said last night?" Roxas replied quietly. "Before I tested Hayner with a Samurai?" Olette nodded.

"That Maleficent attacked the Islands and…"

"Killed our parents," Naminé finished quietly. "We don't have anyone who would care so much anymore, except each other." A silence fell, all preparations to leave vanishing from the other three.

"I'm sorry," Hayner said. "I shouldn't have started talking."

"No," Roxas said abruptly. "Don't apologize. It isn't your fault." Roxas gazed intently at the cast on his left arm, as if wishing nothing more than for it to break under his gaze. Naminé looked in understanding at Roxas.

"Maleficent has done nothing," she said calmly to Roxas. He looked at her in anger at her words but Naminé continued, pointedly shifting her gaze to his arm. "But to awaken sleeping giants, and fill them with a terrible resolve." Roxas nodded and stood up abruptly.

"We have training to do," he said. Naminé raised an eyebrow as Hayner and the others began to back out of the room.

"Didn't King Mickey tell you to take two weeks off with me?" she asked. Roxas balked at her.

"How did you know?" he asked. Naminé scoffed her head in the direction of the library.

"DiZ once called me a witch," she said, "because I could manipulate the memories of Sora and those aligned with him. You should know that since you were a part of Sora, Roxas, that I have access to your memories as well." She smirked at him as Roxas understood. "I wanted to know what happened last night so I took a look while you were sleeping."

"Bye guys," Olette called over her shoulder as she left last.

"See you Olette," Roxas called, surprised that his friends had left so suddenly without him noticing.

"So then," Naminé asked as Olette's footsteps faded, "what do we do while we wait for our charges to get out of school for the day so they can begin training?" Roxas placed is right hand to his chin, before pulling it off and looking at it.

"I've got an idea," he said.

* * *

They were now standing in front of a tall, brown, and twisting tower that couldn't be standing upright if it wasn't being supported by magic. A blue train with a star and moon-spangled hat rested on green magical tracks behind them.

"Mater Yen Sid's tower," Naminé said in awe before looking at Roxas. "Maybe he'll give us some answers about how we're real." Roxas nodded and moved forward first, treading through the grass before the steps to the tower. He opened the wooden doors and entered into the spherical stone chamber of the first floor. He looked to his left at the winding staircase that spiraled up to the top of the tower and moved forward, his and Naminé's footsteps slapping on the stonework.

The staircase was longer than either of them had anticipated. It wound its way up, ever higher and higher and in widening spirals that ever increased in their radius. They passed through two antechambers as the stairs continued to climb ever higher. Roxas lost count at just how many stairs they had climbed after two thousand and also lost track of time. Finally they reached a set of double wooden doors at the top. Panting, Naminé reached and grabbed the doorknob, pulling it open.

Inside was an old man wearing blue robes and a pointed blue hat. His face was lined and gray hair covered his the back of his head and his bushy eyebrows, as well as his long beard. Yen Sid was sitting at his desk with his arms out in front of him and his hands together, looking expectantly at the two in front of him.

"Ah, the former Nobodies," Master Yen Sid said as they stood in the doorway. "I've been expecting you." Roxas and Naminé came forward to stand in front of the desk and bowed.

"Master Yen Sid," Naminé began as they rose from the bow. "We wish to know…"

"How you two are now real," Yen Sid interrupted humourously. He chuckled at their startled expressions.

"As Ansem the Wise theorized," he began, "a being is made of the three parts of heart, body, and soul. He also hypothesized that a Heartless is simply the heart surrounded by darkness, and that the Nobody is the body and soul that remained. So it is true as he guessed. But as he noted, you Naminé were an exception, but he did not also include you in the exceptions Roxas."

"Master Yen Sid," Roxas began. "What did you mean when you called us 'former Nobodies'?"

"Wouldn't it be obvious?" Yen Sid asked. "You now have all three parts, and are whole beings on your own." They gasped at his proclamation and Master Yen Sid continued.

"When Sora stabbed himself with the Keyblade of Captive Hearts, you and Naminé were both created, and Sora was turned into a heartless. Naminé was the exception in this case, but you Roxas were a normality. It was then that when Sora regained his body through using Kairi's heart that you became irregular. You did not gain Sora's memories correct?" Roxas nodded slowly, trying to see what Yen Sid was getting at. Yen Sid nodded in confirmation to his own internal theories. "That is because the memories of a being are housed in their soul. When Sora regained his body, he also regained his soul." Naminé gasped.

"So that means," she said fearfully as she looked at Roxas, "that we didn't have souls!" Master Yen Sid held up a hand.

"Now, now, Naminé calm down," he ordered. "You and Roxas both had souls and bodies, you just didn't have hearts."

"Huh?" Roxas said, thoroughly confused. Yen Sid sighed.

"Did I not just say that a being's memories were housed in their soul?" he asked. "Roxas, you have memories of your time in Organization XIII correct? And Naminé, you remember your imprisonment in Castle Oblivion and your time as you worked for Ansem the Wise?" They both nodded, smiles slowly developing on their faces as they came to the same conclusion. Yen Sid nodded.

"You did not have Sora, or Kairi's souls," he explained. "You formed your own. Through your own experiences you crafted your own souls, completely independent from your Somebodies' souls. But you still lacked hearts, making you true nobodies, but exceptions to the rule nonetheless." Roxas scratched his head.

"So," he asked, "why then did Ansem believe that I had to join with Sora, to give back some of the power I held?" Yen Sid shook his head.

"I am afraid it was here that Ansem had no right to do," he said. "You held none of Sora's power within you, and you joining with him would not have benefited Sora in the slightest. But it did benefit you, for you were joined with your heart, and were complete, and the same for you Naminé when you joined with Kairi. Yet, you both weren't really complete, you had given up your bodies to form your own hearts when you joined with Sora and Kairi. Because you lacked bodies, your hearts had to be placed somewhere within Sora and Kairi's bodies. So while your souls coexisted along with theirs within their minds, so did your hearts exist in the same place as theirs, and this is what gave you the connection that you shared, and still share to a degree."

_I guess we were wrong then,_ Roxas thought. _We were wrong when we told Mac we were only sharing hearts._

"Then," Naminé asked, "what were those lights that came from the closing portal in Maleficent's castle? And how are we 'whole' now?"

"The lights that you saw were likely energy passing from Sora and Kairi to you two," Yen Sid explained. "You were already forming bodies of your own, the moment you started using your keyblades in the Radiant Garden they were being created. Those lights were probably the manifestations of the remaining energy required to complete your bodies. Why they chose that moment to come into completion, I do not know."

"But if our sharing bodies and overlapping hearts is what caused the mental connection between us," Roxas said. "Then what about now? Now that we are all our own persons."

"You four will always be connected," Yen Sid explained, "by your incredibly unforeseen bond that you share. But the special connection has probably simply lessened in its potency. You both can still sense Sora and Kairi out there, probably, but you cannot communicate with them. You wouldn't have been able to communicate at those distances before either, but now I wouldn't expect you to be able to scan their minds and read their thoughts as easily. Maybe it will only be that which they wish to show you that will reach your own minds, I cannot say. These are things you will have to discover for yourself."

"You're well informed," Naminé said. Master Yen Sid chuckled.

"I pride myself in knowing more than others think I should be able to know," he said. "In essence, you both are now the twin siblings of Sora and Kairi, but closer than any pair of twins could ever be. But now I believe it is time for you to be going. You have training to oversee, and I wouldn't be surprised if training ends up being relocated to the Great Maw in the Radiant Garden near the end of the second week of your vacation Roxas. But before you go, do you have any questions?" Naminé shook her head but Roxas jerked his head upwards.

"Yeah, I have one, two actually." Roxas said. "Why did you have to rip every theory we came up with on our own apart? And, how do you know so much." Master Yen Sid chuckled kindly at him.

"Because they were incorrect, and because I am a very powerful wizard and one of the wisest beings in all the worlds." He looked slightly away from Roxas and stroked his beard. "That, and King Mickey has reported everything that happened last night to me. Which would be why I wasn't surprised when you entered with a broken arm, though I am surprised you did not ask for assistance in dealing with that heartless." Roxas cringed and looked away while Naminé folded her arms and looked at Roxas with a frown on her face. Master Yen Sid looked between the two.

"If that is all…" he began, but Naminé interrupted him.

"Wait Master Yen Sid," Naminé began once more, turning her frown away from Roxas. "I have one more question." Master Yen Sid nodded.

"Yes Naminé, what is it?" Naminé bit her lip anxiously.

"What do you think of the prophecy, or the poem that I'm sure you know by now PJ spoke of on the Altar of Naught?" Master Yen Sid looked gravely at them.

"What poem is this? The King did not speak of it," he asked, dodging the first question. Roxas and Naminé balked in surprise that he didn't know it. Naminé looked at Roxas, who sighed as he remembered the words.

"_Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,_

_Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,_

_Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,_

_One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne_

_In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie._

_One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them._

_One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them._

_In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."_

Master Yen Sid's eyes widened as Roxas finished and grimly surveyed the two teenagers in front of him.

"So Maleficent has enlisted _his_ help," he said to himself, audible to both of them. "This is a very serious problem." Yen Sid directed his words to Roxas and Naminé now.

"Maleficent has allied herself with the Dark Lord Sauron," he said. Roxas and Naminé nodded.

"Yes," Roxas began. "We know. PJ told us the names of all of Maleficent's allies last night." Master Yen Sid looked gravely at him.

"The King failed to mention to me just who these allies were," he said. Yen Sid turned his head down and shook it slightly. "I thought he would be smart enough to do so. I guess all I can do right now is inform you to the best of my ability on Sauron and the others, and then go and have a nice talk with his Majesty." Yen Sid stopped and looked at them.

"Sauron comes from a world known as Middle-Earth, and he is not even the most terrible being on that world; for he is the chief lieutenant of Melkor, or Morgoth, the true Dark Lord of that world. Fortunately the Valar, the Gods and Goddesses of Middle-Earth, have imprisoned Morgoth, and he himself was one of them. I feel we will not have to deal with him, but Sauron alone is enough cause for discomfort."

"Middle-Earth has a vast history, rich in tales of heroes, valor, treachery, misery, love, despair, and most of all, hope. If ever you go there, you would be wise to learn as much as you can from Lord Elrond Half-Elven who resides in a city called Rivendell. But the Second Age of Middle-Earth was chiefly concerned with the coming of the Númenóreans from the western isle of Númenor, of which Sauron orchestrated its destruction, and the forging of the great rings. As the poem states there were Three for the Elves, Seven for the Dwarves, Nine for Men, and one for Sauron. I won't get into details, for I do not know them very well myself and you could likely hear more from Elrond, but it seems that Sauron taught the Elves ring-lore, and they crafted many rings under his guidance. I believe the Three were made wholly by the Elves and Sauron never touched them, but the Seven and the Nine were lesser rings of Power that the Elves had made before. In the pits of Orodruin, a volcano, Sauron forged the One Ring. Into this Ring he poured his cruelty, malice, and will to dominate all life. He attacked the Elves and stole the Seven and the Nine from them as they fled. Eventually he was repulsed and defeated by a Last Alliance between the Men of Númenor and Elves, but the Ring was not destroyed so Sauron endured. He will only be defeated when the Ring is destroyed."

"Okay," Roxas said, his head spinning with everything Yen Sid just told them. He turned to Naminé, who was just as lost in the details of Middle-Earth as he was.

"Now then," Yen Sid asked. "Who are the other allies?"

"Nixion, Pete, Jadis, Hades, Hämsterviel, and Saruman," Naminé rattled off. Yen Sid frowned.

"I don't believe I need to elaborate on Nixion, Pete, or Hades," he said. "But Jadis goes by the name of the White Witch or Queen of Narnia. She rules in the world of Narnia over all of the creatures there, but is not the true monarch and is simply a dictator who has taken power. She is cruel and ruthless, and can turn anything into stone with the ice tip of her spear. It would not be wise to engage her unless that tip has been destroyed."

"And Hämsterviel and Saruman?" Roxas asked.

"Dr. Hämsterviel is a creature with evil intentions," Yen Sid said. "You know Stitch correct? Well Stitch is a genetic experiment, number 626. He was created on funding from Hämsterviel, as were the other six hundred and twenty-five. Hämsterviel wants to get each of these six hundred and twenty-five experiments and conquer the universe with them. Although now he would probably plan to turn each into a heartless to increase their power."

"Saruman though, he is also a resident of Middle-Earth. Apart from that he is a wizard of great power, I do not know much about him, Elrond having not spoken about him when I visited Middle-Earth briefly. If ever you wish to speak to a wizard in Middle-Earth however, search for Mithrandir, or Gandalf the Grey." The two teens in front of him nodded and Roxas looked at Naminé.

"Let's go Naminé." She nodded and they bowed once more before Yen Sid before making their exit. Yen Sid surveyed the door grimly as it closed.

"The prophecy then," he said to himself. "I'm glad they fell for my trick to make them forget about that question of Naminé's." He stood up and looked out of his window to survey the stars, winking softly in the sky.

"It may mean many things," he mused, stroking his beard. "There are seven princesses after all. Kairi was the last to be known as one of them, but Alice is the youngest. All roads in it seem to point to evil finally being defeated once and for all by the child however, no matter who bears the child or who fathers it."

"Now then, to pay the King a visit."

* * *

Pocahontas strode into the grotto where Grandmother Willow stood. In her arms lay a basket with several different herbs and plants in it. It had been difficult for Pocahontas to acquire one of the plants, having to search the area where Grandmother Willow told her where it would reside for over an hour before she found it, but she had attained it nonetheless. She passed by some of Grandmother Willow's roots and wound her way around the trunk to the old stump where the pale girl lay. Her condition had deteriorated from the time it had taken Pocahontas to return to the village and come back with blankets, but now her fever had steadied a little and she was making a small recovery. The girl continued to mutter words in a tongue foreign to Pocahontas, and every hour she seemed more and more peculiar.

"Ah, you've returned," Grandmother Willow said, looking up from the salve she had applied to the burn, made from her own bark.

"Yes," Pocahontas replied. "It took me a while to find one of the plants, but I got it." She set the wicker basket down on the stump next to the girl and placing a hand on her forehead. She looked worriedly at the girl, her fever wasn't steady anymore, and in fact it was racing. Pocahontas changed her gaze to Grandmother Willow, her expression anxious. "Grandmother Willow!"

"It's a last attempt by the dark magic in the wound to take her," Grandmother Willow replied hastily. "Hurry child! Boil some water and do as I say or we may not be able to save her." Meeko snuggled worriedly against the girl's shoulder as she began muttering vehemently in her troubled sleep. Other animals approached the edge of the stump, rabbits and quail amongst them. Pocahontas snapped to her feet and bustled about to kindle a fire over one of the pots she had filled with water.

"But what is magic?" she asked while the flames flickered into life.

"Magic is a most ancient kind of harnessing energy," Grandmother Willow explained while the water heated. "It is an art long forgotten by the people of your world, but throughout all of the other worlds magic users exist by the hundreds probably. The kind that assaults this poor girl is of a malevolent strain, banned from use long ago when I was first awakening. But by some dark art it has come into use again, and we must put forward all of the powers of the earth to bring it into check, though I fear it may not be enough." Pocahontas shook her head.

"Grandmother Willow," she said as the water started to bubble. "I don't understand. Magic and other worlds? I thought ours was the only world."

"Oh no child," Grandmother Willow said. "There are many other worlds. Even ones that seem like other worlds exist here on this one. This girl came from another world, and indeed I can sense that she is very important to all of the worlds, for a hidden power of good rests within her. That plant that was difficult to find came from another world as well. Against the powers of darkness it has great virtue, but against this well, we'll see." The water boiled and Pocahontas did as she was instructed, crushing the long leaves of the plant in her hands. A sweet and pungent fragrance stole through the air and soothed Pocahontas' mind. She placed the leaves in the hot water and knelt down to place the bowl under the girl's nose. She reacted positively to it, her expression softening and she stopped muttering in the strange tongue. Yet the dark veins in the green burn on her shoulder began to pulsate violently and the burn itself began to glow. The effects of the plant quickly abated as the girl winced and beads of sweat rolled down her face, contorted from a look of peace into one of pain. She let out a cry of pain in her sleep and Meeko retreated into a hollow in the trunk of the tree and the other animals fled from the stump. Pocahontas looked anxiously at Grandmother Willow, who was looking worriedly and frantically at the girl.

A wind suddenly blew around them, carrying a light and the scent of the sea. Their worried minds were soothed and they heard words spoken in what appeared to be the same language that the girl spoke, but only Grandmother Willow seemed to understand them. The wind whipped around the girl and the light imbued itself within her. A light suddenly spewed out from where the burn was and Pocahontas shielded her eyes from it. The wind faded and Pocahontas looked at the girl. A look of peace had formed on her face and the burn on her shoulder was gone. She moaned in content and her eyelids flitted open to reveal her blue eyes. The girl sat up, her head in one hand and slowly looked around. She spoke a few words in the same strange language she had been muttering in. Surprisingly, Grandmother Willow answered in the same tongue as the girl and Pocahontas looked at the old tree in confusion.

"Grandmother Willow?" she asked and both the strange girl and the willow tree looked at her. "I don't understand."

"Listen with your heart Pocahontas," Grandmother Willow instructed kindly, "and you will." Pocahontas closed her eyes and another wind, one that she recognized as the spirit of her mother billowed around her. The girl spoke some more words, and this time she understood.

"My name is Kairi. What is your name, and where am I?" Pocahontas opened her eyes and placed a hand to her heart.

"Pocahontas," she replied. "And you are in the sheltered grotto of Grandmother Willow."

"You are safe here child," Grandmother Willow said kindly as Kairi looked around again. "Whoever attacked you cannot harm you now." Kairi sighed in relief and her eyes spotted Meeko and Flit, who had returned now that the crisis had abated.

"And who are these?" she asked kindly, holding out her hand. Meeko rushed forward and looked in the palm of her hand expectantly. He saw nothing and pushed it up, hoping something was underneath but his hopes were dashed and he promptly shoved her hand away.

"Meeko!" Pocahontas scolded sharply before turning apologetically to Kairi. "I'm sorry, but he was probably just looking for food." Kairi nodded in understanding and snapped her head backwards as the hummingbird was suddenly in her face, squeaking at her. "Flit!" Pocahontas scolded again and the hummingbird flew back towards her. Kairi's gaze followed the bird apprehensively and Pocahontas shook her head sadly. "Flit doesn't like strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger anymore," Kairi argued with a smile on her face. Flit flew back up at Kairi and stuck his tongue out at her. "Humph, stubborn isn't he?" she asked.

"Very stubborn," Pocahontas agreed. Kairi giggled a bit and Pocahontas inclined her head at her inquiringly. "You are certainly the strangest girl I've ever met Kairi," she said. "Just a moment ago a light entered you and the burn that had been on your shoulder vanished in a flash of light. And now you're up and talking as if nothing had happened." Kairi smirked.

"If you think I'm strange now you haven't seen the half of it," she said. "And then you should meet some of my friends." Kairi suddenly stopped and her eyes widened fearfully. "Sora!" she cried, looking around. "Where is Sora?"

"Who is Sora?" Grandmother Willow asked in interest. Kairi fixed her with her gaze.

"My boyfriend," she answered. "We were escaping from Maleficent through the same portal when I got hit. I tried to follow him but I guess I fell short of the exit and came out here." Grandmother Willow shook her head.

"I'm sorry child, but you were the only one to come out of the light that opened up in front of me." Kairi sighed but she raised her head and her eyes brightened.

"Oh well," she said quietly. "At least I know he's on this world, and then I'll give him a welcome he'll never forget." She suddenly tensed and Pocahontas looked inquiringly at her as Kairi stood, the blanket falling off and revealing her dark blue skirt.

"What is it Kairi?" she asked, half rising from her kneeling position. Kairi moved her hand in a motion that told her to stay down.

"Get down!" Kairi suddenly roared as a long object, white as snow, appeared in her hands. Pocahontas ducked as Kairi flew over her and passed the object through a small black creature with beady yellow eyes. The creature vanished in a puff of dark smoke as soon as Pocahontas had laid eyes on it. Pocahontas turned her head and saw two more appear on the other side. She had just noticed them when the object Kairi had held flew over her head, wreathed in fire. The blade passed through them like they were air and the creatures vanished. Pocahontas turned her head once more to look at Kairi as sparkles of light came into her right hand and the weapon she had held was suddenly back in her grasp. Behind Kairi another figure approached from the other side of Grandmother Willow and the girl turned to face the figure. It was as tall as a man and held a long, slender gray rod with a hole in the center. Its head was black, but its eyes were as yellow and beady as the shadowy creatures. Light blue hides adorned its front with brown upon its legs and there was a small cap on its head. Fire and thunder spouted from the rod it held, but Kairi raised her weapon and there was a ringing sound as sparks flew from an invisible contact with her weapon. Kairi pointed her weapon at the creature.

"Never disturb this place again," she ordered menacingly. She swung her weapon through the creature and it vanished in a puff of blackness as well. Only a small heart, glowing pink, remained as it floated into the sky. Kairi looked up and appeared to see something in Grandmother Willow's trunk, for she suddenly leapt up and began climbing. Pocahontas followed her gaze with her own and saw one of the smaller black creatures standing on the lip of the hollow in Grandmother Willow. Kairi pointed her weapon at the creature with one hand and said "Blizzard." A shard of ice flew out of the tip of her snow-white weapon and impaled the creature. It vanished like the others in a puff of black smoke.

"I wonder what it was doing up here?" Pocahontas heard Kairi mutter as she reached the hollow. She suddenly let out a gasp as a bluish-white light illuminated her face. "So that's what it was going to do, good thing I was here." Pocahontas saw Kairi point her weapon into the hollow and a moment later heard a small clicking sound as Grandmother Willow sighed in contentment. Kairi leapt down from the hollow and landed gracefully on the stump. She looked grimly at Pocahontas.

"Have you ever encountered the heartless before?" she asked.

"Heartless?" Pocahontas replied, thoroughly confused.

"What did you just do that made me feel so… complete Kairi?" Grandmother Willow asked in a highly pleased tone. Kairi just flicked her wrist into her hair.

"I sealed the keyhole to your world," she said, quite pleased with herself. "Now the heartless can't destroy your world." Pocahontas looked at her blankly while Grandmother Willow nodded in understanding.

"Very good," she said. "I thank you princess." Kairi looked inquisitively at her.

"You know about the keyholes to each world?" Kairi asked. Grandmother Willow nodded.

"I have known for a long time about the special gateway to the heart of a world," Grandmother Willow explained. "Yet I had no idea that _I_ was the keyhole." Kairi nodded while Pocahontas still stared blankly at them, clueless to the whole situation. The current moment of peace was broken when a jet-black arrow flew just past Pocahontas' ear and thudded into the stump she was on. Pocahontas stared at the arrow in shock and horror; it had been mere threads away from killing her. Pocahontas drew her attention away from the arrow when she heard Kairi speak. But it wasn't the words that caught her attention; it was the tone of voice Kairi used. Sheer terror rang clear in her voice, a growing dread causing her cry to become barely a whisper.

"Oh no." Kairi had said. Pocahontas looked up at Kairi to see her eyes, which before had been full of fire, now brimming with fear. Pocahontas followed her gaze and gasped, placing her left hand over her mouth as Meeko and Flit scattered. Her own black eyes gained the same fear as Kairi's, she did not know what the creature was, but assumed it must be a heartless like Kairi said.

It was roughly seven feet tall, a black hide covering its large, muscled frame. Black fur grew in places behind its head and on its arms and legs, while yellow eyes glowered down at them. In its feral claws it held a black bow and its face was more beast-like than any animal Pocahontas had ever seen. A strange symbol was coloured on its chest as it snarled at them. Grandmother Willow cringed at the sight of it and Pocahontas rose and backed away quickly. Kairi took a step backwards fearfully and Pocahontas saw her about to take another step further back when her leg stiffened and planted itself in the stump.

"Pocahontas," Kairi said shakily, raising her weapon at the heartless. "This is going to get ugly. If I tell you to run, please do as I say." Pocahontas looked frantically between Kairi and Grandmother Willow.

"She's right Pocahontas," Grandmother Willow said. "If she isn't able to defeat that thing, you must run and warn the village." Pocahontas nodded but looked at Kairi and suddenly shook her head as she surveyed her adversary.

"No," she said, surprising even herself. "No, I won't leave you to fight that thing alone. Or at least my heart won't." Kairi laughed feebly.

"Pocahontas," she said. "My heart is quailing at fighting this thing alone as well. The last one of these we fought took four of us to bring down. I'm surprised you aren't fleeing for the hills right now." Pocahontas smiled weekly.

"I have no clue why I'm not running either," she said, shivering. "That thing scares me like no other." Kairi suddenly screamed and bent down to her knees, a black arrow sticking into her leg as blood leaked from the wound. The heartless had not been idle while they were talking. Pocahontas gasped and stared in horror at the arrow in Kairi's leg, and the small amount of blood trickling out.

* * *

Sora was staring out to sea aboard the ship, taking in the surroundings: ocean, ocean… and ocean. The waves crested against the rising and falling prow of the ship, spraying the woodwork with its white foam. Sora relished the smell of the foam in his nostrils, for every wave that broke upon the ship he was one step closer to the New World, Kairi, and eventually, Maleficent. He heard footsteps behind him and turned his head to see John Smith coming up behind him.

"Hello Sora," he said, joining him in gazing out from the railing into the sea.

"Hey John," Sora replied, having found out last night that everyone was on a first name basis with Smith except for Radcliff. He looked back to the sea, an eager and impatient look plastering his face. Smith spotted the look.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll get there soon enough." John shook his head and chuckled. "Don't know what you're so eager about though. This New World will probably be like all the others I've seen." Sora smirked and looked up at him.

"You've seen other worlds?" he asked skeptically. Smith chuckled.

"Across the oceans?" he replied. "Yes I have, hundreds probably." Sora chuckled slightly and looked out to sea again.

"Somehow," he began slowly. "I think this one will have something different." Smith raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know something don't you?" he asked. He suddenly caught himself before Sora could answer. "No, you couldn't know anything. No one has been to this one before." Smith smiled and looked down at Sora. "You're leading me on aren't you?" Sora smirked.

"You caught me Smith," he said, though knowing that this one did have something different. A certain red-haired wielder of the keyblade difference.

_Remember,_ he told himself; _you let Kairi off nice and easy. Don't make it too sudden. Or you hope that you don't have to do it at all and she'll already know and do it herself._ His face grew hard at the thought though. He knew it would be painful for the both of them when it came, but it wasn't their destinies to be together.

"You know Sora," John began anon, distracting Sora from his internal musings. "You still haven't really told anyone why you're going on this voyage. You said adventure and gold to everyone else, but they didn't see your eyes. Why are you going?" Sora sighed and looked away.

_To find a girl with auburn hair whom I love,_ he thought meekly. Even in his head the words sounded stupid. He was saved from answering John's question however when the lookout in the crow's nest called to them.

"Ship off the port bow!" Sora and John looked away from the sea on the ship's starboard side where they were and looked to the bow of the ship and to the left.

"That's funny," Smith said as they spotted the vessel. "We're supposed to be the only ones heading to this New World." Sora eyed the ship uncomfortably. He didn't like the look of it in comparison to theirs. Their ship he realized was particularly small in comparison to the _Black Pearl_, while this new one looked to be a ship-of-the-line with four decks, massive against their ship's two decks. That was about all he could discern at this range, and the ship seemed to be heading on an intercept course. Sora looked up at the man in the crow's nest and saw it was Lon.

"Hey Lon!" he called. "What colours is she flying?" Sora saw Lon look into the spyglass he was holding before looking back down at Sora and John.

"She isn't flying any colours!" he called back. John looked sharply at Sora.

"Pirates," he said. "So that's what a warship is doing so far out here." Sora looked out at the ship with John and heard Lon shout that it was heading on an intercept course.

"She'll come up and blast us from her starboard side," Sora said, surprising John. "She'll hope to disable us first and then board us." Smith looked inquiringly at Sora.

"How do you know that?" he asked. Sora smirked and looked out away from John, remembering Port Royal.

"Because I am a pirate," he replied casually. The shocked look on Captain Smith's face caused him immense pleasure as Sora threw a glance behind him.

"So that's why you're running," Smith said sternly and angrily. "You're running with us to avoid the noose!" Sora scoffed his head upwards.

"As if," he replied, still in a tone of light conversation. "I am an honorary crewmember of the _Black Pearl_, the fastest ship on the waves. Its black sails make it nigh unmatchable in speed." He turned around and looked at John, his back resting on the rail. Sora smirked once more as John looked inquiringly at him, his anger replaced with curiosity "True I have sailed under a pirate flag, but I've never done a speck of honest pirating," Sora continued. "Unless you count fighting over a chest of cursed Aztec gold of Cortez himself and fighting the mythological beast known as the Kraken honest pirating." Sora barked a laugh and John simply stood in front of him, shock and uncertainty rolling across his face.

"Who…" Smith asked shakily. "Who are you?" Sora ignored the question and looked at the pirate ship again. He could now see figures scuttling about on deck, too far for his eyes to make out; but there was one on the bridge that was just able to catch his attention, for a glint of silver struck his eyes.

"Lon!" Sora yelled, moving his head to look up into the crow's nest again. Lon's head covered in his red beard and hair peeped over the rail at Sora.

"Yes Sora?"

"I want you to get a look at that guy on the bridge!" Sora ordered. Lon placed the spyglass to his eye again and Sora continued. "Tell me exactly what he looks like!" Lon was silent for a few moments as he got a good look at the figure.

"It's a man," Lon replied, still looking through his spyglass. "He has hair the colour of silver, which looks to be in spikes going up. He's wearing a long black cloak with a few silver chains dangling from it, and he has yellow eyes." Lon looked down. "That enough for ya?" Sora nodded slowly.

"Yeah, thanks Lon." Sora turned his head away. "Dam, why is he here?"

"Sora?" Smith asked.

"And if he's here," Sora muttered under his breath, ignoring Smith's question. "Then those figures on the deck are probably heartless. Dammit!"

"Sora!" Smith said forcefully. Sora looked up, his face grim, but did not look at the captain.

"On deck all hands!" Sora yelled. "Load the guns and bring all cannons to the port side!" Men started bustling about and following his orders; awed by the display of command Sora was giving. Sora felt his head spin as he was roughly and firmly jerked around to see John's confused face.

"What is going on Sora?" he asked, surprisingly unperturbed that his command was stolen from under his nose. Sora waited half a second for his head to settle before answering John's question.

"I know that ship's captain," he answered. "We're fighting him, so prepare for the fight of your life because he won't go down easily." John's face shifted slightly.

"Why are we fighting him?" Smith asked as a cannon rolled past him, slowly gaining aggression. "Is he one of your little pirate buddies and you want to beat him? Is that it?" Sora shook his head firmly.

"He's a threat to every living creature," Sora replied, his tone steadfast. "And his master hurt my girlfriend."

"So we're putting our lives on the line for _your _pride?" Smith asked savagely. "I cannot accept that Sora. And why did you not speak of having a girl last night when everyone else did?" Sora pointed roughly in the direction they were sailing.

"Because Kairi is over there!" Sora said aggressively and Smith looked at him in surprise. "On the other side of this ocean! That is the real reason why I'm on this ship, to find her! And she's been injured too by _his_ master and himself! Just yesterday even!"

"Sora that's impossible," John began but Sora cut him off.

"Oh so my girlfriend being across the Atlantic is impossible, but a freaking _battleship_ sailing on an intercept course with us isn't?" John was about to reply when he suddenly came up a loss for words.

"We need to stop this guy NOW!" Sora argued as the enemy ship moved ever closer and more guns were hoisted on deck. "NOW Smith, or else there won't be a New World to explore." A door suddenly banged open and Governor Radcliff stepped out of his quarters.

"Smith!" he yelled. "What is going on?" John took one look at Sora and then back at the Governor.

"Just fighting pirates Governor," he replied. "Nothing to worry about." He edged past Sora and whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "You call the shots and I'll follow. This battle is your show." Sora nodded at Smith as Governor Radcliff shut himself up again.

"Alright men listen up!" Captain Smith yelled. "This battle will be fought under master Sora's direction." Every man, even Ben and Thomas and Lon even from the crow's nest glanced at Sora with skepticism and then back at John in incredulity. "He knows the most of the situation, having confided certain information in me. Trust his orders, and with luck, you'll get through this day." Smith turned his head to Sora and nodded. "What are your orders, captain?" Sora smiled appreciatively at John.

"Man the guns and arm yourselves," Sora ordered. "Every gun possible needs to be trained on that ship if we're going to survive."

"And why should we bother fighting it?" A random crewman asked. "Look at it! We'll die if we try!" Others around him nodded their heads and Sora scowled.

"You're either going to fight it," Sora said. "Or you'll die. I know that captain; he won't take prisoners and won't let you surrender. Which will you prefer?"

"Can we run?" someone else asked. Before Sora could respond he was interrupted by another question.

"Why should we listen to you anyway and not Smith?" Sora scowled once more as his anger intensified.

"Because I'll blow your head off if you don't," he retaliated, showing an uncharacteristic amount of aggression. He really didn't have the patience for these questions. Ben and several others laughed.

"With what?" Ben asked. "A musket? I don't see one with you." Sora stared firmly at Ben.

"I don't like guns," Sora replied icily. "And I don't need one to blow your head off. Watch." Sora suddenly raised his hand into the air and bellowed. "FIRAGA!" A large conflagration of flame exploded into being in the middle of the air above the deck, its intense heat being felt by all on deck. All heads snapped away from the explosion to Sora in shock.

"Any more stupid questions?" Sora snarled. "No? Then you have your orders. Get moving!" He turned around as everyone began bustling about and a box materialized in his hands. Sora opened it to find a small layer of golden dust in the bottom. _Not much left,_ he thought as he scooped up some of the pixie dust and sprinkled himself with it. Sora snapped the box shut and vanished it just before John approached him.

"This uh, enemy of yours Sora," John began uncertainly. "Is he, more powerful than you?" Sora turned his back on John and looked uncertainly at the ship, Nixion was now clearly visible as well as the pirate heartless scurrying about on deck in their red headbands and waistcoats.

"I don't know," Sora said. "He has become even more powerful since the last two times we met. We were the victors the first time, Kairi and I. But he and another who has now switched sides won the second time. I have a feeling that he is more powerful than I am now."

"Then is this attack folly?" John asked. Sora did not answer, for Nixion was smiling while he stared at Sora as if Sora was the tastiest morsel of a five-star banquet. Sora turned around and looked at the men assembled, holding fire on the deck, crowded with their cannons.

"OPEN FIRE!" Sora ordered. With a giant blast every cannon was fired, Roman Candles of flame spouting from each muzzle as a cannonball shot out. They sped towards Nixion's ship over the deafening rumble and crashed into the woodwork, pieces splintering and flying in all directions, skewering heartless into puffs of smoke, but Nixion did not open fire upon them and Sora glared at him.

"Keep firing," he ordered Smith before leaping into the air. Every man gasped at Sora as if he had lost his mind, thinking that he was jumping overboard to save his own skin. But Sora stayed in the air and flew the short distance between the ships and landed on the other's deck.

"Do as he ordered!" Sora heard John command. He smirked and pulled out the Oblivion, passing it through a pirate heartless in one instant before swinging around and parrying a sword strike another was making for him and sinking his blade into the heartless in another instant. Two puffs of smoke formed and two hearts rose into the sky. Sora heard a blast and raised his left palm. A reflega shield formed in front of his left side and blocked a cannonball from hitting him after it had passed through three heartless. It thudded dead on the deck and Sora released his shield, allowing the spheres of pure magical energy to form and rip through the heartless. More came up from below deck and Sora turned to look at them, raising his left hand.

"Thundaga!" he roared. Lightning shot from his palm and arced towards the group.

"Oh no you don't!" The lightning shot upwards and formed around in Nixion's hand as he stood on the railing between the deck and bridge. It moved around and encircled Nixion, who slowly dropped down onto the deck to face Sora.

"Well met Sora," he said, the lightning crackling around him. A blast sounded and a cannonball whizzed towards the Nobody. Nixion jerked his head towards it in indifference and raised his hand. The cannonball thudded into his palm and came to a stop, hovering in midair. Nixion then shot it back to its origins and overlooked the sound of breaking wood and wrenching iron. Smith called to hold fire and Nixion looked back at Sora.

"Did you really think the weapons of this world could halt me Sora?" he asked calmly, electricity coursing around him. "I am the master of storms. You cannot harm me with mere cannonballs or my own element." Sora threw him a look of loathing and Nixion chuckled. "Yes, I guess you would be a little angry to see me. Given that it was through my efforts that we were able to capture you and your princess."

"Well now you're about to go down," Sora growled, his grip on the Oblivion tightening. Nixion just chuckled some more.

"Ah, you are still upset that you lost yesterday aren't you?" Sora stared adamantly at Nixion, his nostrils flaring angrily. "And how is your little princess Kairi? I hear she was struck by Maleficent's raging darkness."

"Shut up!" Sora yelled, a chord of pain surging through his heart.

"Ah, I seem to have struck a nerve," Nixion said with a smile. He placed a finger to his chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Oh, I wonder how she will cope with the little fact that you two were never supposed to be?" A beast surged forward from within Sora's heart and he lost control of his actions, possessed by the fires burning within him.

"SHUT UP!" Sora roared, running forward with the Oblivion. He wildly slashed at Nixion and missed. Nixion shook his head and sidestepped away.

"I'm disappointed Sora," he said. "I would have expected better from the master of the keyblade on his own." Sora growled and came at Nixion again with the Oblivion, aiming a powerful blow for his midriff. Nixion's thunder blades suddenly appeared in his hands and one blocked his strike. Nixion pressed forward with the blocking sword and shoved Sora backwards before delivering a blow with the flat of his other blade to Sora's chest. The electricity coursed through Sora's body, causing him to scream in pain before the contact ceased and he was flung out into the cabin's door. Sora winced in pain from the electricity and glowered at Nixion. He pointed one of his thunder blades at Sora again.

"Thundaja," he said. Sora's eyes widened in fear as the lightning siphoned off of the blade into a crackling column of electricity, thick as a giant redwood's trunk. Sora quickly held the Oblivion out in front of him, placing the sword horizontally with one hand on the black key.

"Reflega!" he cried. The familiar shield formed around him and there was a deafening explosion as part of the lightning exploded on contact with the shield. But the core center of the electricity broke through and cracked the shield, striking Sora in his chest with his blue eyes looking at the magic in fear for the instant before it hit him. The pain surged through him, causing revulsions and spasms he could not control as his body contorted with the pain. The pain stopped and Sora got to his knees, panting heavily as sweat beaded on his face. He heard movement and raised the Oblivion again to swiftly block Nixion's surprise attack. Before he could deliver a follow-up with his other blade Sora repulsed his blade and swung wildly at the Nobody. Nixion smirked as he leapt backwards and Sora came at him again. Sora delivered a slash to his ribs, which Nixion parried and circled around. Sora blocked the attack coming for his side and ducked the follow-up. He raised the Oblivion up and parried one slash before missing his own attack.

"Anger doesn't seem to suit you Sora," Nixion taunted as Sora missed again and felt the familiar pain of lightning again for a moment. Sora glared at him.

"I hate you, so much right now," he growled.

"Well then I wonder how much you will hate me when I say that I have already sent a vanguard party of heartless onto the New World's shores?" Sora jerked his head at Nixion.

"What?" Nixion smirked.

"You heard me," he said. "I have already sent some heartless to find your precious princess and slay her." Even more anger rippled and boiled within Sora. He tried twice more to attack Nixion, but each time his thrust was sidestepped and whacked away. Nixion pointed one of his blades at Sora again. "Thundaja." The current of electricity crackled out again and barreled straight for Sora. He saw it coming and rolled on the splintering wooden deck to dodge it. Sora rose from his roll and passed his keyblade through on of the pirate heartless that was still standing idle on deck, circling the fight.

"You can't win Sora," Nixion taunted with a laugh. "Thanks to Maleficent and Kingdom Hearts, I have far surpassed you in power. And you want to know what? I haven't even begun to use my new strength." Nixion released his blades and held his hands up into the sky. "I have become the most powerful being from my now destroyed world," he declared. "I am now the most powerful of the aeons. Not even Bahamut could content with the power I hold now." Something clicked in Sora's mind and he pulled out the dragon charm Sally had given him in Halloween Town. He struck the charm onto the end of his keyblade and pointed the Oblivion into the sky, letting out a mighty shout of "Bahamut!"

A circular gate of light appeared in the sky, intricate patterns and words in other tongues circling around its several rings. A large dragon, slightly humanoid in its shape, barreled down through the center of the gate. Its wings were covered in feathers of bright colours of red, pink, and yellow and two violet spires protruded from the top of each wing while its body's skin was a dark purplish blue. A golden crest flared up its chest beside purple scales. The claws on the ends of its two feet were golden while the claws on its arms remained the same hue of blue as the majority of its skin. A large golden wheel with several spokes also hovered behind its neck and in-between its wings. Bahamut had come.

"No," Nixion said in shock as Bahamut landed on the deck, his golden claws crunching into the wood. "No, you should be dead. Our world was destroyed."

_And yet you survived, _Bahamut said, his voice echoing through the minds of those present. _As have I._ Bahamut shook his head at the startled Nobody. _Ixion, how has it come to this?_ Nixion scowled at the dragon.

"I'm not Ixion anymore!" he retaliated. "That unicorn was weak, and no summoner ever called on me."

_Braska did,_ Bahamut replied. _Many times, O'halland did as well. And many other summoners who never reached Sin and got to become a High Summoner. Have you forgotten all of them?_

"They were content with me for a time for sure," Nixion argued. "But every time they reached Bevelle, they always dropped me for _you._" Bahamut chuckled in everyone's minds.

_I will admit, I was always more powerful than you._

"But that has ended!" Nixion declared as his swords appeared in his hands again, a maniac gleam in his eyes as cold winds began whipping around them. "Storm Master!" Black clouds began to form around Bahamut and Sora on deck and biting rain began to fall thickly from the clouds as Nixion laughed from within the clouds. Lightning began to flash in the utter blackness and Sora and Bahamut found themselves blinded by the rain. Sora winced in pain as he felt hail start to strike him.

_Sora,_ Bahamut said, and Sora could tell this time he was speaking only to him. _This is a new devilry Ixion could have never done. He must have acquired these powers of darkness from somewhere._ Bahamut cringed and gave a low howl of pain and Sora saw Nixion appear from nowhere in the storm and slash the great aeon with one of his thunder blades. Just as quickly as he appeared, Nixion vanished into the storm again. Lightning flashed in front of Sora and he looked around wildly and futilely. He felt pain in his left side and looked to see a very shallow gash in his shirt and leather vest, the white fleece inside being slowly stained red. Nixion vanished again before Sora could strike at him with the Oblivion. The hail bombarded him again, and the winds began to pick up, forcing Sora off of his feet and flying into Bahamut's bulk. The dragon grabbed him with one of his claws and held him.

_Have no fear Sora,_ Bahamut said. _I shall protect you. Nixion will not be able to bring me down by the end of this storm._ The aeon gave a low thrum of pain as Nixion slashed him again, darting into the storm's black clouds again before they could retaliate. A bolt of lightning came out of the clouds at Bahamut and the aeon tossed his left arm in the path of the electricity. It bounded off of Bahamut and harmlessly into the clouds again. They heard Nixion give a startled cry of pain as the electricity hit him and the rain and driving winds ceased, yet the clouds and lightning remained. Bahamut released Sora and they looked up to see all of the lightning funneling into Nixion, who held his blades loosely by his sides, one of them gleaming red on a small portion. The electricity coursed within Nixion as Sora looked up at him, and his silver hair began shifting to a canary yellow. It turned fully yellow and with one more surge of lightning into him it switched to a hostile electric white. Nixion's amber eyes glared down on them as he brought his swords together above his head, the lightning forming around them in a brilliant light as he started to spin.

"Lightning Javelin!" Nixion yelled as he pointed his spinning self at them and shot forward.

_Sora run!_ Bahamut roared as he leapt to one side of the human missile. Sora reacted on instinct, feeling death approaching and Quick Ran with all of his might to his left just in the nick of time. Nixion crashed through the space where he had been standing not a second before and went through all of the four wooden decks of his ship. Sora panted and joined up with Bahamut as the storm subsided and Sora's ship became visible. Nixion burst out of the waves on the battleship's port side and glowered at Sora and Bahamut.

_Sora now!_ Bahamut ordered before reeling backwards and landing on all fours, crushing the remaining wood in his claws. Sora leapt up onto Bahamut's now spinning wheel as a light formed in Bahamut's mouth and Sora gathered the energy coming from the golden wheel into his keyblade. The wheel stopped spinning and Sora pointed it at Nixion.

_"Mega Flare!"_ They both yelled simultaneously. A rushing torrent of energy, devoid of any elemental alignment spewed forth from Bahamut's mouth and the Oblivion's tip. The energy engulfed Nixion in an inferno, and when it had finally subsided and its sound was only an echo, Nixion was hovering in the air, clutching his chest.

"You win this round Sora," he breathed. "But I'll be back. And then, you will see my true power." And with that, he vanished in a portal of darkness, but his voice remained to issue one last comment. "But I wonder Sora while you sail around here. If your precious Kairi will survive that Charr heartless I sent to lead the vanguard?" Sora froze as Nixion's chilling voice echoed in the ocean sea. He was suddenly brought back to his senses when Bahamut rose.

_That did not do as much to him as he let on,_ he said. _I fear we have really done nothing at all. He has become truly powerful._ Bahamut looked at Sora. _Sora, I am afraid I must ask this of you. Call on me again the next time you face Nixion. And together, we will put a sorry end to his actions. Much though I regret this course of action to be taken, I am afraid it must._ Sora nodded and Bahamut slowly faded away, little lights with tails of green, light-blue, and pink coming into being as he faded away. The lights traveled into the silver charm Sora had let drop onto the remains of the deck and Sora picked it up and pocketed it. He felt the pain of the gash in his side again and placed his left hand over it, the green light of a cure spell spewing from his fingers. He looked at it when the magic was finished and saw that it had only been a shallow cut, and so it was sealed up. Sora quickly repaired his leather vest and black shirt and removed the blood from the white fleece before turning to look at his own ship.

It had sustained very little damage, two cannons being destroyed by the lightning and one from the cannonball Nixion had sent careening into the deck. Everyone on deck was congregating around something, but Sora was just surprised that Nixion's cannons hadn't even fired a shot at all. He felt the ship shudder from under his own feet and quickly lifted off as it began to sink and soared onto the deck of his own ship, landing lightly on the wood. Everyone turned at the sound of his footfall and looked at him in awe.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, as everyone seemed to be in a ring around something. Everyone fell silent and Sora could hear someone giving sharp gasps of pain. Sora strode forward and the others parted for him, not wanting to get in his way as he still held the Oblivion in one hand.

Thomas was lying on the deck, wincing in pain and gasping. The reason was sickeningly evident, a large piece of splintered wood was sticking him in the side, and none seemed to have been able to remove it, only making it worse. Sora knelt down by Thomas, ignoring the sickening blood that was making the bile rise in his stomach and studied the wound.

"I think," Thomas managed to squeeze out. "That it's hooked on a rib." Sora nodded and felt deep inside him for the fire.

"Firaga," he said calmly. He could feel in his mind the searing heat burning the wood away from within Thomas' body, but he used all of the mental strength that was left to him to keep the heat confined to the wood alone. He felt the segment of wood that was hooked around the rib burn away and Sora relinquished the heat. He grabbed hold of the wood with his left hand and pulled it out easily. He tossed it aside. "Accio ashes," Sora said calmly, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see the blood coming from the wound. A brief moment later he felt the ashes land in his left hand from his summoning charm and Sora dismissed the Oblivion from his right. "Curaga," he said, using up the last of his magical energy for the moment. The green tendrils came out of his fingertips from his spell and circled around and in Thomas' wound. The bleeding stopped and Thomas looked in wonder at his side, for the small green glow persisted for a moment before embedding itself in his flesh. Sora stood wearily and looked at John.

"I relinquish command to you captain," he said. "Just make sure we get to the New World as soon as possible. Speed is really of the essence now."

* * *

Kairi growled and bit her lip, preventing her from shouting in pain. She tossed the Oathkeeper from her right hand into her left and yanked the arrow out of her leg with her right hand, the physical pain forcibly being kept from her face. She stood and hurled the arrow back at the Charr heartless. It snarled at her as the arrow stuck itself into its arm, but the arrow simply became a part of it. Kairi ran forward, the pain from the wound in her left leg being masked by her sudden surge of adrenaline and another arrow streaked towards her. She raised the Oathkeeper up and blocked the dart, still moving towards the heartless as sparks flicked past her face. Another arrow came at her, wreathed in dark fire. Kairi raised her right hand quickly and a light spewed from her fingertips. The arrow entered the light and melted away. Kairi smirked as she continued to come on.

_Rule number one,_ she thought suddenly, remembering the last fight she had with a Charr heartless. _Combat them with light._ She came forward and the heartless raked its claws at her with its left arm, its right maintaining a hold on its bow. Kairi sidestepped the strike but not far enough, the claws scratching her cheek. She spun around and ducked, cutting off one leg with the Oathkeeper. The heartless wobbled on its one remaining leg and toppled over. Kairi sliced its bow in two with her blade and pointed her right hand at the Charr heartless' head.

"Light," she said as the light billowed out in waves from her hand. It engulfed the darkness of the heartless as it howled in anger and dismay and when it had been completely covered in the light Kairi relinquished it, leaving the heart to float up into the air. The pain resurfaced in her leg and face and Kairi fell to the ground. She dismissed the Oathkeeper and passed her hands over the affected areas, curing them with healing magic. She stood up when her wounds were healed and limped tiredly back to the stump, Pocahontas staring at her in awe.

"How did you do that?" she asked, pointing to where her injuries had been, and where a small hole where the arrow had been still was.

"You wanted to know more about magic Pocahontas," Grandmother Willow said proudly. "I think you have just seen some." Kairi smiled and twirled some of her auburn hair around one finger, a slight blush creeping onto her tired cheeks.

"Sora taught me how to use magic," she said bashfully. "He's the chosen master of the keyblade, the kind of weapon you just saw me fighting with. The keyblade can also seal the keyholes to worlds, and unlock special pathways between the worlds for us to travel on. Sora taught me how to lock and unlock these keyholes too. He's very powerful, and not even sixteen, even though I just turned sixteen yesterday. I know he won't be defeated by anything as long he is surrounded by his friends. We're the key to his power." She fiddled with her hair some more and fingered a pendant that hung around her neck that Pocahontas had never noticed before.

"Yesterday many things happened, and many things became known to us, both today and yesterday," she said. Kairi suddenly grasped the pendant tightly in her hand. "I don't care what that light said," she said harshly. "I won't turn my back on him. It only said I would win the heart of a knight, not who would win _my_ heart." Grandmother Willow nodded approvingly.

"Very well princess," she said. "But if those creatures were associated with the one who gave you that burn, then you and your friends will need all the help you can get. I shall teach you how to use your light in as many ways as possible, and how to call upon the spirits of the earth and air to aid you." Kairi nodded as Pocahontas, Meeko, and Flit looked between them in confusion.

"Thank you Grandmother Willow," she said. An audible rumble sounded from the pit of her stomach and Kairi giggled and looked at Pocahontas. "Do you have anything to eat?" she asked meekly. Pocahontas smiled broadly at her tired figure.

"After what you just did," she said. "You deserve a feast."

* * *

Nixion appeared in a portal of darkness in the middle of a black room with a long table in front of it. Maleficent was seated at the head of this table, and she was looking expectantly at Nixion.

"Well Nixion," she began. "Give me your report." He nodded at her.

"The New World will not be conquered," he stated. "Sora and Kairi are there. They will defeat any heartless we send and seal the keyhole." Maleficent nodded, respecting his choice.

"Very well," she said. "What of the other worlds on the initial list?"

"I have dispatched additional heartless to assist Pete while he increases the numbers of our Charr heartless army on Ascalon as you requested," Nixion began. "And I have also send a hundred heartless to four initial worlds for conquering. From there we can move forward rapidly as we will have several worlds to hide in from the wielders." Maleficent nodded again and a puff of smoke and flame appeared from behind him.

"You wanted to see me Maleficent?" Hades asked as he stepped out. The witch smiled at him and laughed.

* * *

_And… done! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Remember to check out the forum I made and guys, you are allowed to start your own topics._

_Please leave a review._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	27. Dawn

_I received a complaint in one of the reviews for last chapter, so I decided to do something about it. If anyone has a complaint or other issue they would like addressed in my fanfic, you can post it in the new "Complaints/Issues" topic in my forum and I __**will**__ answer it._

_Plus I also added "Sneak Peak" topic where I post a section of the next chapter._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters. And __**kirinelf**__ owns part of the concept early in the chapter._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXVII: Dawn

Riku awoke early the next morning on the couch of the _Highwind_'s cabin. The fact that he was actually on Sora's ship without his best friends being there had left an impression on him. So much so that even looking around Sora and Kairi's rooms for ten minutes after Max's arrival at the Radiant Garden had unnerved him. The picture of the three of them and their parents in Sora's room made him feel uncomfortable, and he had quickly exited before his loss could gain a hold on him. And then the events that had occurred during the night in Maleficent's abandoned castle and the day that had just passed served merely to increase Riku's anxiety about his friend's whereabouts.

They had left the castle as King Mickey instructed, and instead of heading off immediately to a world they had stayed where they were, floating in space while they slept off the day's exhaustion. He had slept on the floor that night, and Yuffie persuaded him to upgrade to the couch the evening before now. That day had been unnervingly uneventful, for without argument he and Max set a course for Olympus Coliseum, determined to bring Hades down and lower the count of allies Maleficent had to rely on. The three of them with Hercules and Auron had combed the Underworld the whole day, searching for the god.

Hades was nowhere to be found, and neither were any heartless or nobodies.

Riku tossed the violet blanket off of himself and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Yuffie moaned slightly as his weight had shifted the balance and Riku looked at her, a slight smile forming on his face. She had been unable to force herself to sleep in Kairi's room either, and so they had lain on the couch together, facing opposite sides of course.

_Well now we've done __**almost**__ the same as Sora and Kairi,_ he thought. He still gazed at her with his aqua eyes, her raven hair gently spreading a little across her cheeks as her breathing returned to a rhythmic pace. Riku's stomach gave a slight lurch as he placed the blanket over her shoulders and she unconsciously grabbed it with a free hand and pulled it further up, a slight smile showing on her face as well. Riku turned his head away from her and dismissed the funny jolt his gut gave him and stood up. He surveyed Yuffie one last time with his eyes, longer than he anticipated as it became harder for him to walk away from her towards what he knew he had to do. Riku slipped his socked feet into his shoes and sneaked quietly through the hallway, being extra careful not to make a sound against the metal floor and thankful all the while that Max had given the both of them a tour. Riku approached the door roughly halfway between the kitchen and cabin where the simulation chamber was and heaved a sigh as it slid open for him.

The room was an exact duplicate of the one in the school that he had helped Axel program, except the keyboard was inside a control room that had to be reached by a staircase built into the left side of the room. He walked up the stairs and stared at the controls for a few seconds before imputing the commands and leaving into the main chamber again, drawing Way to the Dawn as he went back down.

_Now to see how well I do against them,_ Riku thought as he took a stand in the center of the room. As soon as he stopped the room shifted, the metal turning into an open plain that stretched for miles, a small rosy light coming up from the east showing that dawn was near, yet still not coming for a while. In front of him stood the simulation adversary he had chosen. Not a thousand regular simulation heartless, as Sora, Kairi, and Max regularly fought against, but a Charr heartless of the only variety the three of them had all fought together. Riku glared at the heartless' yellow eyes with his own aqua ones, becoming hard as the steel of his keyblade. The Charr growled at him and unsheathed its black longsword and held its buckler to its left side. Riku got into his fighting stance with his keyblade held at his head's height and his right arm up, keeping his left arm loose at his side. A brief moment passed before the Charr heartless charged at him, swinging its sword savagely at Riku. Riku brought Way to the Dawn up to meet the blade and as black struck crimson Riku recoiled and leapt back, amazed at the physical strength his opponent had. Within moments the heartless was on him again and Riku ducked the strike that was aimed for his head. Riku brought his keyblade forward to impale the heartless, but the point of his blade was met by the black buckler and Riku was forced to leapt away again as the black longsword fell into the ground a moment after his foot left it, driving dead grass and dirt into the air. Riku back flipped his way roughly twelve feet away from the heartless and pointed his left hand at it.

"Dark aura," he said, a fireball made of blue and black darkness flowing out of each of his fingertips. The streamed towards the Charr as it charged at him again, and one was batted away against the sword while the other four were absorbed by the heartless symbols on the shield and helm. They began to glow blue and black and Riku flipped away the moment before a beam emanated from the helmet at him. He flipped some of his steely lilac hair out of his eyes and turned to block a downward strike the Charr was making upon him with Way to the Dawn. Riku pulled back and twirled around, parrying two attacks on his person and brought his keyblade down, forcing the Charr heartless' sword point down as it blocked. Riku grinned and was about to shove his blade forward when the shield hit him in the gut and he staggered back. He raised his head and his eyes widened.

"Dark shield," he said, holding both of his hands out in front of him. The honeycomb-patterned shell formed in front of his hands just before the stored beam of darkness came from the shield hit him. It impacted his defence and broke, swerving off into the sides and beyond Riku into the dark of night. Riku dropped the shield and instantly raised his blade again, finding that his enemy was giving him no rest. He fell back into the plain, the heartless constantly on him. Riku tried a strike to find his sword bounce off the iron shield the Charr held again. Tall though he was, Riku was nowhere near as tall as the Charr, and he could not reach to strike the neck or head without jumping, which he did not find a wise move in these circumstances. Riku sidestepped and ducked a single attack and searched for an opening in his enemy, finding none with the shield constantly taunting him. He dropped flat against the grass, hiding in the dark, and rolled around to the Charr's back, hoping that it would miss him with his maneuver. He pointed his left hand at what he assumed was its back and fired a dark aura shot. In the small amount of blue light that came he saw that he wasn't firing against its back. The helmet and face of the heartless was within two feet of him, snarling as the shot impacted the helmet with no damage. It glowed blue once more and Riku brought up a shield to block the beam. It broke on his defence as well, splitting around the shell barrier and driving into the ground. Riku dropped the shield and the black longsword of his foe drove into the ground mere inches from his head.

_Dam, this thing is good,_ he thought heatedly and fearfully.

_No it isn't,_ a voice spoke in his head. Riku's eyes widened as he recognized it.

_No…_

* * *

Everything went black around him, and suddenly Riku found himself standing atop a circular stained glass platform. He looked down at it, and saw himself superimposed in the center-right with his back turned. Riku saw that in front of him in the picture were three figures, one far smaller than the other two, too far out to see clearly and standing in front of a rising Sun. He looked down at his feet and saw that they were in shadow, but the path in front of him was slowly lighting up as it lead towards the figures. Riku looked at his head and saw that it was half-turned towards him, one aqua eye piercing his one real one with its knowing gaze. All around Riku was darkness, except for the path in front of him. Near his head he could see four faces, two of them Sora and Kairi's, another King Mickey's, and the other a man's, within blue spheres, and Yuffie's in a blue heart.

Riku took the platform's image in with a glance, and directed his attention instead towards the only other figure that was actually standing on the platform. His back was turned to him, but Riku knew at once who it was. The black vest on his back, silver hair that spiked up on his light brown head and flowed down his back, the dark gray cape that came down from underneath his vest at his waist.

"Xehanort," Riku growled, Way to the Dawn appearing in his hand. Xehanort turned around and eyed Riku with his yellow eyes, challenging Riku to look up from where his aqua eyes had rested on the heartless pendant he wore.

"Would you mind explaining to my why you haven't been able to take out that heartless?" Xehanort asked, completely surprising Riku. He shook off his shock and glared at Xehanort.

"It's too good," he argued. "Everything I do, it nullifies. And it doesn't grow tired." 'Ansem' shook his head.

"Riku, Riku, Riku," he said. "Have I taught you nothing?" Riku's glare intensified.

"I am not using the darkness again," he said vehemently. "The last time; it was to help Sora, and that's all."

"Ah, but was it?" Xehanort asked. "Was that all you did while you held the powers of darkness in your control?" Riku simply glared at him and didn't answer. Xehanort chuckled. "Darkness is a power Riku, just like the light your foolish friends use. It can be used for good or evil, like I chose." Riku shifted his head uncomfortably and glanced inquiringly at Xehanort.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Self preservation," he answered. "This is the only form I have left, a resident of the darkness within your heart. And I realize that I must make my peace with you if I am going to survive. And to keep myself alive, you also need to remain alive as well. So I might as well help you out against that heartless, because if you face it in reality, you won't win as you are now." Riku flinched against this direct attack on his pride and shifted his head away. "Remember the power of darkness Riku?" Xehanort continued. "Remember how strong it is? I know you want that strength back. You reveled in it, you cherished it, it was important to you…"

"Only to help my friends!" Riku snapped back, interrupting Xehanort. Yet the man did not seem to mind Riku's anger.

"And is the fate of the worlds any less important?" he asked. Riku growled, angry that Xehanort's tactics were working against him. "You opened your heart to me and the darkness Riku twice before, why should you cast your strongest asset away now, when it will be most needed?"

"You said that it was only evil or good depending on how you used it?" Riku asked, hating the fact that he was doing it again. Xehanort nodded and smiled. Darkness formed in his hands and he pointed them at Riku. The pent up darkness rushed out and hit Riku in the chest.

* * *

Reality returned to Riku, and he found that no time had passed since he had journeyed into his mind. Either that, or his opponent had frozen in time while he was gone. The Charr heartless' sword was still next to his ear, and it was still breathing its foul breath on his face. Riku smirked as it was about to bash his head in with its shield and concentrated. From the back of his shoulder blades a dark creature rose, attached to him whenever he called. Its body was dark, and two antenna-like tendrils of darkness came back horizontally out of the sides of its head. The Guardian shielded Riku from the shield with one of its arms while it held the Charr heartless' sword arm firmly in place with the other arm. Riku drew Way to the Dawn and sliced off its sword arm into the darkness. The Guardian then grabbed the shield arm with both hands and ripped it off. As it vanished the Guardian grabbed the shield and began bashing the Charr's helm with its own shield. Riku savagely delivered blows to its chest with his keyblade while his Guardian continued to attack the head. Suddenly the Guardian tossed the shield away and vanished into the sky. Riku pulled his hand back and a sphere of darkness grew in his palm.

"Dark Wave," he said as he threw his hand back in the heartless' direction. Waves of darkness pulsated from it, streaking towards the Charr. They contacted it and it staggered backwards, aimlessly flailing in a retreat. Riku stopped and lunged forward as the heartless ran away. The heartless was faster, and it looked as if it was going to get away when the Guardian returned and halted the Charr with its powerful arms. Riku leapt high and sunk his blade into the creature's back. It vanished in a puff of darkness and its simulated heart rose into the sky just as Dawn cracked. The Guardian sunk back into Riku and for the second time he lost himself.

* * *

He was standing once more atop his platform, Xehanort standing there and smiling at him.

"Wonderful exhibition," he said in congratulations.

"That was a whole lot faster and easier than before," Riku said with an expressionless face, keeping his elation at the return of his power to himself.

"Is this your choice then?" a new voice spoke. Riku and Xehanort looked around for the voice, but saw nothing that was speaking for a moment.

"Show yourself interloper," Xehanort ordered. Two figures faded into existence on the platform, right overtop two of the circles near his head. They were robed in white, with hoods covering their faces. Riku looked at them in confusion as they stood there and Xehanort snarled.

"You have no right to be here," he ordered, charging at them. Riku gasped, for as Xehanort was about to strike he suddenly bounced back onto the platform.

"We have as much right to be here as you do Xehanort," one of the figures said in a feminine, yet familiar voice. She gestured towards the third circle with Xehanort's face in it.

"So this is your choice Riku," the other one said, in a male voice that was also very familiar. "To wield darkness, yet fight for the light?" Riku nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I asked for this power. I was never afraid to use it. But now I'll use it for good intentions with a strong heart. I won't fall into evil use again."

"Good," the girl said. "Because if you're using darkness for the light, it isn't either of them." Riku and Xehanort looked at them in shock.

"What?" they both asked simultaneously. The other looked at Riku.

"Send a sphere of darkness atop the center of the platform," the male ordered. "Place all of your darkness within it, and we'll show you what we mean." Riku gave them a strange look but did what was instructed of him. He felt as if a part of him was being siphoned out as he sent the darkness away, floating in the air. The two figures raised an arm each and pointed them at the sphere. Beams of light streamed from their arms towards the darkness, and at the same time, another beam came from the image of Yuffie within the heart. Except it wasn't white light like what came from the two in robes, it was a soft pink. The two white beams wound around the pink beam and they merged with the sphere of darkness all at once. There was a blinding flash and Riku and Xehanort shielded their eyes. When it was over an orb remained where the three had merged. It appeared to be the same as the darkness on the outside, except for a bright glow that came from within the dark shell. It floated down and hovered in front of Riku.

"Take the orb Riku," the girl said, a note of badly suppressed glee on her face as she glanced at the image of Yuffie. Riku gave her a queer look. She resembled Kairi so much that it was startling. He grabbed the orb and instantly felt a rush of power return to him. It wasn't the same as the darkness that had left him; light was within it, only veiled by the dark. He felt warmth come to him inside, and it soothed his body of the strain they had taken when fighting earlier. The two figures in front of Riku removed their hoods and he gasped.

"Welcome back," Sora said with a smirk. "Wielder of Dawn." Riku took an apprehensive step forward.

"How are you guys here?" he asked, looking between Sora and Kairi in disbelief. They smiled at him.

"We're all connected Riku," Kairi answered. "Our hearts are aligned with each others'." She gestured at the circles and heart on the platform, herself and Sora standing overtop of theirs. "Spirits of myself, Sora, King Mickey…Yuffie?" She looked up from the circles with a grin as she saw Yuffie's face within the heart. "Really Riku? Yuffie? I didn't know she was your type." Riku shied his head away from his two friends and Xehanort, hiding a blush that was developing on his face. Kairi tossed her head up as she remembered. "And oh yeah, him." She jerked her head and pointed her thumb over her shoulder at Xehanort before continuing. "Reside within you. We will always be with you." Riku looked at his two friends again as his blush vanished and a question popped into his mind.

"So, where are you guys?" Their faces immediately became confused.

"Well," Sora said, scratching his head and looking around. "We're here." Riku shook his head.

"No, I mean where are you guys really?" he asked. "You aren't in the World That Never Was anymore, and even Roxas and Naminé don't know." Sora and Kairi gasped, leaving Xehanort still sitting in the dust.

"Where are they?" Kairi asked worriedly, her face frantic and pleading.

"Are they okay?" Sora asked, just as concerned as Kairi. Riku took a step back, the anxiety in their faces startling him. He had never seen either of them this emotional about someone before. He stood back for a moment and his shock delayed him in speaking for a second.

"They're in Twilight Town," he said. "And Roxas has a broken arm, but I don't know about Naminé's condition. She was out when Roxas came back to Maleficent's castle to fight." Kairi sighed in relief but Sora's look changed from one of anxiety to dread.

"Naminé's awake now," Kairi said before Sora could speak. "I can feel it."

"So how are you Kairi?" Riku asked inquiringly. "Roxas said that Maleficent hit you with something." Sora looked over at Kairi, his own question forgotten and replaced by concern. Kairi glanced at Sora and smiled at his gaze.

"I'm fine now," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I was healed of the dark attack by two people, well one and a tree, and a light."

"So you know of the prophecy too," King Mickey said as he faded in. Sora and Kairi nodded.

"Wait, this is getting crazy," Riku said, shaking his head. "Are you guys actually together or what?"

"Huh?" Sora asked, looking between him and Kairi.

"Well," Riku continued. "You say you're Sora's spirit that inhabits my heart right? And you know what's going on with Sora right now?"

"Yeah," Sora said. "But I can't actually communicate with Sora's heart."

"What?" Riku asked, perplexed. Kairi looked sympathetically at him.

"It's complicated," she said. "We know what's going on with Sora and Kairi, and all the things they know. But we can't actually let them know of anything you know."

"So everything you learn from me," Riku said in grim understanding. "And everything you discover and figure out on your own in here, can't translate into what Sora and Kairi actually know or do." King Mickey sighed.

"It really is sad," he said. "Especially with that prophecy. We could all just hold a conference in one person's mind and talk about it there and figure it out from wherever we are. But we really need to physically be with one another for everything to happen."

"Which reminds me," Xehanort said at last, looking at Sora and Kairi. "I believe Riku asked if you two were together."

"What context do you mean by together?" Sora asked uneasily. "Do you mean physically together, or together together?" Riku looked at him.

"I meant both," he said. Everyone looked at Sora as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, we aren't together in the same place," he said. "We're separated but still going out, kinda." Riku and Kairi sensed the unease in his voice and Kairi stepped towards him uncertainly.

"What do you mean we're 'kinda' still dating?" she asked. Sora looked at her sympathetically, but whether it was for Kairi, or him, Riku couldn't tell.

"Well Sora has had that prophecy continually going through his head ever since Nixion attacked and mentioned that he sent a Charr heartless to lead a vanguard to attack the New World," Sora said. Riku gasped and was about to say something when Kairi held up a hand at him.

"Don't interrupt," she ordered sternly. "And I took out that party and the Charr so Sora doesn't need to worry, now continue Sora." The boy sighed and placed his white hood back up, not wanting her to see his face. But Kairi grabbed it and yanked the hood off.

"Sora wants to break up with you because he isn't a knight and his heart isn't full of light." Kairi gaped at him in shock.

"Well what do you call the light that came out of your hand then," Xehanort asked Sora. Sora turned to look at the denizen of darkness, grateful not to be looking at Kairi's stunned face.

"A little light show courtesy of Kairi," he explained a little bashfully. "I can't actually wield light itself."

"Hey why isn't Yuffie out here?" King Mickey asked.

"Her spirit's still asleep likely," Xehanort responded. "Either that, or she doesn't want to come out this morning because she has a bad hair day or something." Everyone jolted in surprise as Kairi broke from her reverie.

"WHAT?!" She yelled at Sora's quailing face. "How can he be planning to do this to me?! Doesn't he love me anymore?" Tears were starting to shine on her face as she became more emotional.

"He, I love you Kairi," Sora said fearfully. "I always will. Sora just thinks he isn't good enough for you."

"Oh so that old argument!" Kairi raged as she turned around and futilely threw her arms up in the air. Riku and the others cringed and began backing away, Sora finally understanding what Roxas meant when he had said to never make Kairi mad. "Never thinking of what _I_ want, always what he thinks is best for me! WELL GUESS WHAT?" she stormed as she rounded on Sora. "I want _you _Sora! YOU! Not some fancy shmansy knight, YOU!"

"Okay," Riku whispered quietly to King Mickey and Xehanort, who he had managed to worm his way next to as Kairi continued to rant and rave. "I can see those two have some issues to work out, even if their actual hearts aren't getting into it. How do I get out of here and back into reality?"

"Just wish yourself out and out you go," King Mickey replied. "You can also wish yourself back in here whenever you want. This is your mind after all."

"As an added bonus," Xehanort added, "whenever you're in here, time is practically null out there. So you can spend hours or days in here and next to no time will have passed outside."

"Okay," Riku said, cringing when he saw Kairi pull out the Oathkeeper and began attacking Sora with it to relieve some of her anger at him. "I need to work on seeing how different Dawn is from Darkness. See you guys later." And with that, the Wielder of Dawn was gone.

* * *

Riku came back to himself in the training room, noticing that it was still the open plain, and that dawn had just cracked. The room shifted, and once again it was its metallic self. Riku went back into the control room and imputed the simulator to do the same fight again, with a little twist. He went back down to the center of the room and waited momentarily for the room to shift.

Once again it did, but this time Riku found himself standing on a hill overlooking a gaping plain in between the cliffs of two black mountains. The Sun was in the east behind the mountain cliffs, and standing just down the hill from his position was the same Charr heartless he had fought last time, while the whole plain below and even into the maw of the cliffs was filled with neoshadow heartless. Riku smirked as he looked at the rising sun and then glanced down at the Charr that was rushing up to him. He dismissed it and looked behind him, at the sky that was still dark. Riku turned back to see the Charr coming ever closer. Way to the Dawn appeared in his right hand and he raised his left and pointed it at the Charr's head.

"Ray of Dawn!" he yelled. From his hand a streaking ray, tipped in darkness and melding into a brilliant yellow while passing through shades of red, shot forward at the Charr heartless' head. The heartless barreled forward; ready to absorb the blow into the heartless insignia in its black helmet.

But that wasn't what happened.

The strike stopped the heartless in its tracks, exploding on contact with the armour. Riku smirked and dashed forward, easily navigating the scree on the slope and called forth his Guardian. It reared up behind him, but it too was different. A rosy red light tinged the center of its torso. Riku swung Way to the Dawn against its sword while the Guardian blocked the shield with one of its burly arms. The swords rebounded and the Guardian continued to play the defence for Riku against the heartless' shield. Riku pulled his sword back and a dark fire tinged with light at its base engulfed it.

"First Light's Fire!" he roared, swinging his blade into contact with the heartless'. Way to the Dawn cleaved through the black sword and Riku viciously slashed at the heartless' torso. Darkness began spilling out of its gaping wounds and Riku raised his still enflamed blade up and brought it down on the Charr's cowing head. His sword contacted with the helmet and bright flames erupted from the contact as he rent through the metal. Riku sent his keyblade down through the head and the Charr heartless vanished into darkness as it died. Riku lifted his head and gazed at the dawn as it overlooked the thousand neoshadows in front of him. He shifted his gaze down at his keyblade still wreathed in its fiery sheath.

"The Way to the Dawn," he said slowly. "Now I know why I started calling it that instead of Soul Eater. Darkness into light." He quickly scrambled down the scree and dashed right into the mob of neoshadows. They tried to rake at him with their claws but Riku silenced them with his blade and Guardian every single time, methodically destroying them as he made his way east to the red sun.

* * *

Xehanort and King Mickey were staring at Sora and Kairi within Riku's mind as the latter continued to come at Sora with her keyblade, which he was only blocking half-heartedly with the Oblivion while he continually weaved around her and dodged her blows.

"Always saving me," Kairi huffed as she sent a shard of ice at Sora. "Always trying to look out for me. I know its noble but I'm NOT a damsel in distress anymore Sora! I still want you to save me if I'm in trouble but I don't want you to save me from yourself!" Her keyblade struck Sora's with a resounding clang that reverberated in the darkness around the platform, echoing off of the many other towers upon which other platforms stood. "How do you think I would feel if I saw you in love with someone else huh? It would break my heart. Blizzaga!" Kairi yelled, pointing the Oathkeeper at Sora. He leapt up and flipped over the shard of ice that was sent his way and quickly brought the Oblivion up to block her descending keyblade as she came upon him again. Yuffie faded in next to Xehanort and King Mickey as Kairi continued to harass Sora, her face livid.

"What the hell is all the racket about?" she asked them heatedly. "I was trying to sleep!" Xehanort and Mickey quailed under her gaze, fires burning in her black eyes. She stopped when she heard the clang of metal on metal and turned to see Sora dodging Kairi again, running around the ring of the circle. "Hm," she said with pursed lips, "Spirit Kairi is being very cold to Spirit Sora this morning. I wonder why?" King Mickey looked up at her.

"Well Spirit Sora told Spirit Kairi what Sora was going to do to Kairi when he met up with her again," he explained very rapidly. Yuffie looked at him blankly and blinked twice, looking between the two others.

"And that would be…?" Xehanort laughed.

"He's going to kill her." King Mickey and Yuffie looked aghast.

"No he isn't!" Mickey retorted angrily. "He's just going to break up with her." Yuffie gasped and looked at Sora angrily.

"That's just as bad," she growled, unsheathing her dagger and rushing to join Kairi. Xehanort groaned and ran forward, the Guardian in its full darkness rising from his back. The Guardian grabbed both of the keyblade wielding fighters and Yuffie and held them away from each other in the air.

"Will you be _silent_?" he hissed at them as they continued to struggle. "_I_ need to live here too you know. So maybe you should show some respect to the other spirits that inhabit this heart and sort this out now without violence. Even though it does have its merits." He grinned and the Guardian released them, hoping that they would jump back into the fray and start fighting again. But instead they simply stood there, looking at each other.

"I had said that that was what Sora wanted to do Kairi," Sora started after a long pause. "But it isn't what I want to do." Kairi raised an eyebrow and began tapping her foot with crossed arms.

"Well…" she said, pausing for Sora to continue. He looked at her, his face full of painful emotion.

"Sora isn't with you right now Kairi," he said. "I know it's painful for him, but not nearly as painful as something only you could do."

"And that would be?" Yuffie asked, ticked that she still wasn't getting her beauty sleep yet.

"To be with you Kairi, and see you in the arms of another," Sora finished. "I'm with you right now Kairi, so in a way it's different for me because of what we are. And I know that I am never letting anyone come between us. The thought of you loving someone else more than me is too horrible a punishment for me to endure, so I'll keep you close and do whatever I can to keep us together."

"Kairi," Sora finished, seeing the happy tears in her eyes. "I love and want you more than anything else in all the worlds. And I don't give a dam about that prophecy." She suddenly rushed into his arms and Sora began rubbing her robed back. He pulled her back slightly and nudged her chin a little higher so she was looking at his eyes. "And I know that this is exactly what Sora will do when he sees you again," he whispered quietly. "So there's nothing to fear. My heart's too strong for my reasoning." Kairi smiled and snuggled closer into his shoulder, their white robes almost melding together.

"I have you all to myself then," she whispered contentedly with her eyes closed. "My Sora-kun, all to me." Sora smiled and drew her closer, wrapping an arm protectively around her back.

"And my Kairi-chan, who will have no other," he said softly, letting her hair flow into his cheek. They both vanished into their circles and Yuffie and Mickey smiled warmly down at them as Xehanort scoffed his head upwards and vanished into his own circle.

"Well that was sweet," Yuffie said to Mickey as she sheathed her dagger again. "But it still doesn't excuse them for waking me up!"

* * *

Sora stood up on the prow of the ship that afternoon, gazing out to the sea where a shadow was starting to grow on the horizon. He was alone, and felt the loneliness like a heavy weight on his heart. After the events of the previous day he had found himself shunned and given the cold shoulder by the vast majority of the crew. His awe-inspiring display of power in his fight against Nixion and summoning Bahamut as well as healing Thomas of the wound he had suffered scared the crew. Not to mention the fact that he had quite literally threatened their lives when they did not follow his orders immediately.

Sora sighed and hung his head. He had never felt so ashamed amongst those he fought alongside before. But what choice had he had? It was Nixion, a being powerful enough to destroy the whole ship without a second thought. And he had sent his ship straight for theirs to fight. But these men he was sailing with weren't trained to deal with the supernatural, just fighting other humans was daunting enough to them. He heard slow footsteps behind him but did not turn his head, consumed by his own dread.

"Sora?" an unexpected voice said. Sora turned his head and saw that it was Thomas, wincing with every other move.

"Thomas?" he asked before turning his head away. "I'm surprised that you want to talk to me. No one else does." Thomas stood next to him and looked with Sora at the shadow on the horizon.

"I want to thank you for yesterday," Thomas began. Sora looked over at him. "I don't think I'd still be alive if you hadn't done, whatever you did." Sora's face remained neutral, not wanting to give Thomas the impression that he was smug.

"It's magic Thomas," he explained. "I've had to learn it on my adventures just to stay alive."

"Well I can see that," Thomas said with a smile. "That Nixion fellow was pretty tough isn't he? But you and that dragon got him in the end." Sora shook his head.

"No," he said regrettably. "Bahamut and I didn't get him. Nixion got away, and Bahamut thinks we didn't really hurt him anyway."

"Hey where did, Bahamut you called him?" Thomas asked and Sora nodded before Thomas continued. "Where did he disappear to anyway?" Sora pulled out the silver charm with Bahamut's image on it.

"He's right here," he said. "I can summon him from this charm when I need his help. I've also got another one with me, hang on." Sora vanished Bahamut's charm in a white shimmer and White Fang's charm appeared in his hand a moment later. "This one summons a white hybrid wolf by the name of White Fang," Sora said as Thomas took the charm and looked at it.

"Wow," was all Thomas could muster. He handed the charm back to Sora and it was vanished again.

"I know," Sora said. "Sometimes, I'm still a little bogged down by it. I only started fighting with the keyblade a little over a year ago when my home world was destroyed." Sora looked off into the sky, and Thomas looked sympathetically at him.

"You're from the stars?" he asked. Sora nodded.

"Each star is another world," Sora explained. "Whenever a star in the sky goes out, that means the heartless have taken the heart of the world. My home world was taken, but then we got it back. And now it's been destroyed again, even while my friends defended it."

"I'm sorry," Thomas said, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder. "I suppose our troubles are nothing compared to yours." Sora sighed and shook his head.

"No, they aren't," he said with a half-smile at Thomas. "But that doesn't mean that they're any less important." Thomas smiled and ruffled Sora's hair affectionately.

"So," he said after a pause. "What was your enemy going on about with all of the 'precious princess' comments?" Sora cringed slightly and Thomas withdrew his hand with a concerned look on his face. "A painful memory?"

"He was referring to my girlfriend Kairi," Sora answered. "I know she's here on this world, but she's injured and probably alone. And he sent something powerful at her. She's strong, and even stronger than me in magic, but I don't know if she'll be able to beat it back. I'll just have to trust her to hold her own." Thomas nodded, seeing the fear in Sora's eyes and decided to steer it towards the positive aspect.

"You'll see her again," he said. "What's she like?" Sora smiled as he pictured her perfectly in his mind.

"Well Kairi's a princess of heart," he began. "And the most beautiful one of the seven of them. She's about my height, and has flowing auburn hair to her shoulders." Thomas smiled, for to him, Sora appeared to space out as he was describing her. "Her blue eyes are dazzling and full of warmth, and she'll always be there when you need her. It was her sixteenth birthday two days ago, and I gave her a pendant like my crown one." He looked down and fingered it remembering the pink one that hung from her neck. "She's where I get my power from. When all seems lost and winning is out of reach I think of her and all of my other friends, and my strength comes back enough for me to win."

"So that's what you're searching for." Sora and Thomas turned to see John Smith standing there behind them, a smug look on his face.

"You're looking for your lost light," John said as he moved to stand next to them. Sora nodded and looked out again. The shadow had grown, and now Sora could identify that it was indeed land. Evergreen trees were sprawling along the sides of the mouth of the river that they were sailing into, their branches thick with green needles and their trunks broad. Deer and small animals were lining the banks, getting a good look at the strange object and all of the weird creatures aboard and gulls were flying in the air around their mast and topsail.

* * *

Kairi panted as she stepped out of the swirling light behind her and looked over at Grandmother Willow, who was smiling.

"Very good Kairi," she praised. "You're doing marvelously. Using light to create a portal is no small feat, and to have mastered it so quickly is astounding." Kairi smiled and used the power of wind that she had learned that morning to wipe some of the sweat off of her brow.

"And I can use them to travel between worlds too right?" she asked. "Just like the ones of darkness?" Grandmother Willow nodded.

"Yes child," she answered. "You have told me of opening the gateways between worlds with the keyblade. All you will have to do, is feel the heart of the world when it is open, and you will be able to create a portal to transport yourself there." Kairi nodded, pleased that they weren't stuck to traveling around in Gummi ships anymore, but also saddened that they she had lost that special sanctuary. Pocahontas hadn't taken her to the village, her father and his warriors had not yet returned from facing the Masawomaks, and the appearance of a white girl would be alarming to the remaining villagers. And so, Kairi had stayed with Grandmother Willow.

"Now," Grandmother Willow began again, "as I have told you these are not the only uses of light. Spirits have used it in many ways over the eons. You can use it to cleanse darkness, like in battling that heartless earlier, or you can use it as the worlds recently did and send messages with it. But it must be on a fair wind, and it can even take the shape of the surroundings when delivering the message, so the receiver can visually know who is sending it and from where. But it is just like magic, in the sense that if you can imagine it doing something, it can." Kairi nodded again, all the possible uses of light flooding her mind. She could use it to become invisible even if she tried.

"But I believe that is all we shall do for today," Grandmother Willow said kindly, seeing the weariness in Kairi's face. "You have learnt much in such a short time for one so young, and your mind and body need rest. Come, have something to eat." Kairi nodded but smiled again as she eyed the basket of food Pocahontas had brought for her. Sturgeon and trout, corn and berries; a meal more than good enough to bring her energy back.

"Fire," Kairi said, pointing her arm at a pile of wood she had gathered earlier. They erupted into flames, crackling merrily as if they had burning for hours. She turned her attention to one of the fish. "Aero." Wind whipped around it and lifted the sturgeon into the air. Kairi directed it over the fire and smiled as she began to hear the meat and juices inside sizzle.

"All it needs now," she said, "is a little garlic butter and a cedar plank." Grandmother Willow chuckled.

"The spirits of the earth are for tomorrow's lesson Kairi," she said. Kairi giggled a little at the ancient tree. "I'm sorry I cannot get you a special draught that I'm sure you would like Kairi," Grandmother Willow said. "But I cannot get there anymore. I have lost the ability to travel between worlds, and have become tree-ish as you might say." Kairi waved it off and had the air spell flip the fish over.

"That's okay Grandmother Willow," Kairi said as she busied herself with the berries in a small bowl. "I'm content with what I've got."

"Something smells good in here," Pocahontas said as her canoe slid past the willow leaves. Kairi looked up from her work in making the sauce and saw that something was different with Pocahontas, something was troubling her, that much Kairi could tell, and she was now wearing a blue necklace with a white teardrop stone in the center. Kairi heard a noise and felt something brush up against her hand. She turned in disgust at Meeko, who was about to finger her sauce.

"Meeko!" she scolded. The raccoon looked ashamedly at her and pulled its finger away. Kairi's face softened as she looked at the raccoon and affectionately ruffled its fur. "You can have some when I'm done," she relented and Meeko's face brightened. Kairi finished mashing up the cranberries and got her cooked fish to float towards her.

"More magic huh?" Pocahontas asked, eying the floating fish before it landed on a plate and its skeleton was suddenly pulled out, leaving the fish de-boned. Kairi nodded and spread some of the now warm cranberry sauce on the sturgeon, and left the rest to Meeko, who devoured it in two gulps and began licking the bowl, Flit chattering away at him for not saving any.

"Pocahontas is that your mother's necklace?" Grandmother Willow asked, spotting the ornament around her neck. "You look so much like her when you wear it." Pocahontas nodded.

"My father told me so as well," she said, sitting down next to Kairi on the stump as she began to eat her fish and a cob of corn. "He said that she wore it to their wedding, and that he hopes I will wear it to mine." Kairi stopped eating and looked at Pocahontas, a note of helpless frustration had crept its way into the end of her sentence.

"Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas began, "he wants me to marry Kocoum." Grandmother Willow raised an 'eyebrow'.

"Kocoum?" she asked. "But he's so _serious_." Kairi giggled at the face Grandmother Willow made. That simple description of Kocoum made him sound like what Sora had told her about Auron.

"I know," Pocahontas continued. "My father thinks he's the right path for me. But lately, I've been having this strange dream and-"

"Oh a dream!" Grandmother Willow interrupted excitedly. "Let's hear all about it." Small forest animals began chattering excitedly in an uproar and Kairi nodded along with Meeko and Flit. "Quite," Grandmother Willow said, hoping that the animals would listen, but they kept on going and a squirrel even clambered over her face. She quickly breathed out and sent the squirrel flying as Kairi laughed quietly at it. "QUIET!" Grandmother Willow roared and silence fell, only to be broken by a croak from a frog. Grandmother Willow looked sternly at it and the frog gulped and ducked under its lily pad. "Now child, you were saying?" she asked.

"Well," Pocahontas began. "I'm running in the woods, and then suddenly there's an arrow sitting in front of me. As I look at it, it starts to spin. Faster and faster until suddenly, it stops."

"Hm," Grandmother Willow said. "Well, it seems to me that this 'spinning arrow' is pointing you down your path."

"But Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas asked, "what is my path?" The old willow tree in front of her chuckled.

"My dear, your mother asked me that very same question," she answered.

"Really?" Kairi asked. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her, to listen," Grandmother Willow answered. "All around you are spirits, children. If you listen, they will guide you." Pocahontas stood up as a wind began to blow.

"I can hear the wind," she said.

"What is it telling you?" Grandmother Willow asked. Pocahontas closed her eyes and Kairi could tell she was able to understand.

"It says something's coming!" she blurted out before looking up and opening her eyes. "Strange clouds?" she asked herself before clambering up Grandmother Willow's boughs with Meeko and Flit to the canopy. Kairi looked up in intrigue as Flit flew back down in fear and flew within Kairi's hair and landed on her shoulder and Meeko retreated down as well, huddling up next to Kairi.

"I thought you didn't like strangers?" Kairi asked sympathetically and stroked Flit's head comfortingly with one finger while petting Meeko. They eased up; as if all of their tension and fear was being released through this one simply act.

"What do you see?" Grandmother Willow asked.

"Clouds," Kairi heard Pocahontas reply. "Strange clouds." Kairi took Flit in one hand and placed him down next to Meeko before clambering up herself next to Pocahontas. Kairi gasped at what she saw and her heart became filled with joy.

"Those aren't clouds," she whispered as they watched them slowly pass, surrounded by gulls. "They're sails." They stayed up there for a few more minutes until the ship had passed and the two girls clambered down, to find that Meeko had eaten all that remained of what Kairi had cooked, which was most of it.

"I'm going to go investigate," Pocahontas said as Kairi busied herself with making a dinner for herself all over again. "Are you coming?" Kairi shook her head.

"Not right now," she said. "I'll go check it out tomorrow or maybe the day after. Right now, I just want to eat and have some alone time." She could tell Pocahontas left a few moments later and all was silent for a time as she worked about cooking again until Grandmother Willow spoke.

"Alone time?" she asked. Kairi grinned.

"I'm absolutely sure Sora's over there," Kairi answered, "and I love him more than anything else. But sometimes, you just need a little time on your own."

* * *

Sora grunted and shoved his shovel into the ground once more a few hours later. John Smith had left into the woods on a scouting expedition at Governor Radcliff's request, which left the rest of the crew at the Governor's every whim. Some had been tasked to unload the ship, others had been told to begin work on building the fort, but the vast majority in which Sora, Thomas, Ben, and Lon were within were tasked to start digging.

The objective: gold.

_What does he think we're going to find?_ Sora thought brutally as he flung his load of dirt over his head into the latest of several five-foot-high mounds he had created. _We're just a little ways away from the shore, maybe half a click. We won't find any gold this way!_ A shadow obscured the Sun's rays from his vision and he peered up at the Governor.

"Found anything yet?" Radcliff asked.

"Only dirt sir," Sora replied with fake disappointment as he clambered up out of his hole and began a new one.

"Just how long are we going to keep digging like this, sir?" Lon asked, leaning on his shovel.

"That's right!" Ben added angrily, tossing his own down. "Here we are, slaving away, breaking our backs for-"

"For King and Country I know," Radcliff said through a mouthful of chicken. "But don't worry, we'll find that gold eventually." He gave the chicken leg to Wiggins, only a bite taken out of it, and walked away. Sora sighed and sunk his shovel into the dirt again.

"This is the pits," he said, "literally." He heard a laugh from Thomas who was in a nearby pit when suddenly Percy let out a startled yelp.

"Savages!" Radcliff yelled. "It's an ambush!" Sora leapt out of his new hole and joined with Ben and Lon and several others taking cover behind a fallen log. Muskets were in the hands of everyone else including the Governor, but Sora didn't draw sword or gun as shots were exchanged between the two sides. He got a good look at the Indians. Tanned skin over muscled chests and black hair, and a few were even wearing war paint while they were garbed in the hides and pelts of forest animals.

"Sora where's your gun?" Lon asked over the din as an arrow embedded itself in the log between them.

"I told you guys I didn't like guns," Sora said, ducking his head before an arrow could wiz through his hair. "I've been shot too many times before to like them." There was a cry of pain from the woods and Sora saw one of the Indians fall.

_They can't heal wounds like that here,_ he thought before he leapt over the log behind Ben. Another Indian charged at Ben and grabbed his musket before he could bash its butt into the fallen native's head. Sora paid little heed to them as they fought, and instead sought the bullet wound the man had taken. Sora found it in his leg and quickly cast a glance behind him to see that Ben, strong though he was, was not quite a match for this warrior. Sora's head snapped back to the man he was now kneeling by and he placed his hand over the bullet wound.

"Accio bullet," he said, closing his hand on the ball that zipped into his open palm. "Cure." The green tendrils flowed into the wound and Sora looked up as he finished in time to see the warrior's fist coming to his face. Sora flicked his head to the side just in time to dodge the blow, but the warrior's knuckles still scraped the side of his cheek. Sora called the Oblivion to his hand and the warrior grabbed his wounded comrade and ducked, an arrow flying past his shoulder at Sora. He brought the Oblivion up and deflected the arrow as the warrior gave the order to head back to the village. Two more arrows whistled at Sora and he deflected both of them before watching the backs of the retreating men. Many of them didn't have weapons. Ben scowled at their backs.

"And don't come back!" he yelled. He jerked his head towards the hole-filled clearing and Sora followed, sending away his keyblade. He hoped that at some point the Indians would remember his face and the act of kindness he had shown. Governor Radcliff was livid when they returned while everyone else was celebrating the victory, Thomas had tripped over a log in the confusion and his musket had fired, nearly shooting the Governor.

"Stop cheering you fools!" he yelled. "They'll be back! Everyone get back to camp, and finish building the fort."

"Aye Governor," Ben said, saluting him while walking. Sora sighed as he made his way back. Between the natives, Radcliff, and the sheer vastness of the land, he wondered how long it would take him to ever find Kairi.

* * *

_That's all for now. I think it was good for the day after my 17th birthday. In case you don't know how to check out the forum, just go to my profile and click on "My Forums". Remember to check it out for sneak peaks of further chapters._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	28. Autonomous Robotic Life Forms

_Yuffie: Shire Folk has been having some computer troubles and serious schoolwork lately, and because he got a new computer he's been busy playing games that wouldn't work before, and says he's very sorry for the lack of updates._

_Ironhide: He should have just asked us to come and fix his computer._

_Max: No way, his computer's in the basement. You guys would have totaled his house trying to get to it. Besides, it was fried. Riku?_

_Riku: Shire Folk does not own Kingdom Hearts or any worlds he uses. And I think we've said this before but he doesn't own any songs either._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXVIII: Autonomous Robotic Life Forms

Riku was in the medical bay of the _Highwind _that night, stocking up on his potions and smirking as he remembered the events that had transpired that morning. He had really been thrown for a loop to find out that he, Sora, and Kairi truly were connected at a level even deeper than eternal friendship. True enough he hadn't always acted or been a friend to Sora in the past, but Sora had forgiven him for his descent into darkness and now Riku was proud that his best mate accepts what had transgressed between them and doesn't begrudge Riku for turning to the darkness. He smiled as he remembered how surprised they were when he told them about Roxas and Naminé, but there had remained a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind about that. Riku stopped in his work and straightened up, the suspicion assailing him again.

_Wait a second,_ he thought before jumping into his mind.

He stood on the stain-glass platform and looked down at the circles that held Sora and Kairi's spirit forms within them.

"Sora! Kairi!" he barked. Light shone from within the circles and they appeared. He stopped for a brief glance when he noticed that they were no longer wearing the robes that they had worn before. Sora was instead in an auburn leather jacket with a black t-shirt on underneath and a pair of blue jeans, while Kairi was in a black halter-top and a dark navy skirt that went just past her kneecap.

"New wardrobes?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow. Sora and Kairi looked down at themselves before looking back at Riku with grins.

"Yep," Sora said. "This is what we're actually wearing now." Riku gave them both a look of polite inquiry.

"So tell me," he mused, placing one hand on his chin. "If you two live within my heart, and know everything I know as well as everything the real Sora and Kairi know, why did you act all surprised when I told you both how Roxas and Naminé were doing?" They both feigned looks of shock on their faces.

"Oh no he found us out," Sora said sarcastically, turning to look at Kairi as she looked at him, both of her hands flying to her cheeks exaggeratedly.

"Whatever are we going to do Sora?' she asked in a playfully stressed demeanor. "He knows it was all a ruse."

"It was very believable," Riku said, a smile creeping on his face before he paced towards his two friends. Sora shrugged.

"Hey, it had to be," he explained. "We were trying to emulate how the real Sora and Kairi would react."

"Which would not involve you guys having to take drama classes," Riku said calmly with a smirk. "Because after all, you are them in a sense."

"Yes we are," Kairi said. "But don't you have a mission to be preparing for Riku? You're arriving at the first new world in about ten minutes." Riku nodded with his smile.

"I thought you were supposed to be as lazy as Sora?" he asked humorously. They both laughed.

"I am," she replied. "I was when we were building the raft, and I still am. You were the one who did all of the work."

"Most of the work Kai," Sora came back with. "I helped a little, but you just bossed us around and made that charm of thassala shells." Kairi grimaced at him.

"Don't you remember what I said to you Sora?" she asked. Sora shrugged and Kairi shook her head with a smile. "I told you before that Riku and I had already gathered all of our supplies and you still needed to find yours." Riku chuckled before Sora could answer again.

"I'm going to head out now," he said whilst turning around. Sora and Kairi nodded and Sora spoke again, continuing the conversation with Kairi.

"Yeah, but I was still the one to get all of the food and water the next day. That was when you made that good luck charm."

"Oh by the way Kairi," Riku called over his shoulder from the other side of the platform to interrupt Sora. "You look hot." He chuckled again when he saw a blush form on Kairi's face and quickly warped out.

He came to back in the medical bay with a sly grin on his face and a potion still sitting in his left hand. Riku shook his head slightly and pocketed the potion before rummaging around for some more supplies when Yuffie's voice arose from behind him.

"Ah so you are awake," she said, slightly amused as she walked in behind him. "I had thought you had dozed off for a second, standing there absent-mindedly for about five seconds." Riku smirked slightly upon realization that Xehanort's definition of 'null' meant about one second for every minute. Riku turned around to look at Yuffie.

"No," he said, "just thinking." Yuffie smiled and looked at his bulging pockets.

"Need another one?" she asked sarcastically, pointing them out. Riku glanced down before looking back at her.

"Hey, you never know," he replied with a shrug. "Sora needed them all the time while we fought Xemnas." Yuffie shook her head.

"Guess some guys are really tough, even for Sora. Eh Rik?" Riku nodded his head sadly.

"Yeah," he sighed. He suddenly looked inquiringly at her, hearing what she had said. "Rik?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Yuffie giggled slightly and Riku shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "If that's how you want it Yuf?" Yuffie scowled at this and Riku chuckled when she stuck her tongue out at him. They jerked their heads up when the _Highwind_ shook violently and a siren began to blare.

"What's going on?" Yuffie asked, startled. Riku heard footsteps ringing on the metal outside in the hallway and he made his way past Yuffie to the doorway to peer outside.

"Max!" he yelled as he saw the boy running out of the kitchen towards them. "What's happening?" The ship shook again and Riku felt Yuffie grab onto him for support while Max leaned up against one of the red walls.

"We're under attack!" Max hollered back. He shoved himself off of the wall and heading towards the bridge. Yuffie let go of Riku and they ran out, just behind Max. But Riku, being the swiftest, made it to the bridge before either of them and looked grimly at the sight. They were already in front of the world, and heartless ships were just passing them on their own way to the world's surface. Max came panting up behind him and sat down in the captain's seat. Riku inclined his head slightly towards the only one aboard who knew how to fly the ship.

"There are only five of them," Riku said grimly. "But I know those ships. Each can hold twenty heartless." Max nodded as Yuffie came up last to the bridge. Max grabbed his controls and spun the ship into a barrel-roll, firing off the cannons. One of the heartless ships exploded in a brilliant conflagration of fire and thunder while another took a few hits from the barrage. Two of the ships made it down to the world while Max completed his maneuver and Riku got up off the floor, where he and Yuffie had both been thrown when Max had acted.

"Wait until we're strapped in to do that again Max," he ordered. Max looked over at him then back at the fight.

"Sorry Riku," he apologized, before firing off another salvo. The damaged heartless ship took the fire and exploded as the remaining one made planet-fall. "Dang."

"Dang what?" Yuffie asked, massaging her butt from its fall.

"Three got away," Max explained grimly.

"Then let's go down there and get them," Yuffie said savagely. "Let's go hunting." Max and Riku both nodded, Max rising from his chair.

"The only thing that disturbs me," Riku said as they rushed towards the teleportation chamber. "Is why is Maleficent is using so few heartless?"

"Huh?" Max asked. Riku shook his bangs out of his eyes.

"Well, Maleficent has a massive army at her command," he continued. "Why is she only sending a hundred heartless at worlds instead of a full-scale fleet?"

"Beats me," Yuffie said as they entered the room and stood on the transporters. "But as long as she's only sending a small enough amount while holding the rest back she makes our job easier."

* * *

They beamed down to find themselves in an uproar of noise. What appeared to be two gigantic robots, one partially yellow and the other black were fighting each other and heartless at the same time. The heartless had taken the appearance of small robotic creatures with sharp spike-like arms and legs and their symbol on an oblong metal head. Way to the Dawn appeared in Riku's hand and he passed it through one of the heartless. It vanished into darkness and its heart rose into the sky. 

"Let's do some business," he said as Yuffie pulled out her shuriken and Max unsheathed the Defender. The Guardian reared up behind Riku and punched one of the heartless as it tried to attack his back, sending it back into the darkness from whence it came. Max and Yuffie became unnerved as soon as they saw the Guardian attached to Riku.

"Riku," Yuffie asked in a horrified voice. "What is that thing?" Riku looked up from where he had killed another heartless and glanced at his Guardian the moment he saw their terrified faces.

"It's my Guardian," he said. But Riku did not elaborate as the giant robot in black attempted to punch him into dust. The yellow robot leapt in the way and blocked the fist with its body as Riku rolled out of the way. He pointed his hand at the robot that had attacked him. "Ray of Dawn!" The streaking ray erupted from his hand and shot straight into the robot's body, electrical sparks flying away from where it had contacted. It retreated in some pain and the yellow robot raised a hand where a cannon formed. It fired several shots and the black robot dropped onto the ground, writhing around in a broken hunk. Riku nodded at the yellow robot's round and surprisingly kind face before engaging another heartless. Yuffie's shuriken flew through the air in front of him, eradicating several of the creatures and Max sliced the defender through more while Riku's keyblade sang and shots rang out from the robot's arm cannon. Max cut down the last of the heartless and looked over at the other three.

"Eight," he said.

"Twelve," Riku continued.

"Ten," Yuffie remarked.

"Score is ten," the robot said in a voice like a sportscaster, though his lips did not move. The robot shuffled away and Riku looked at the other two.

"That's forty down," he said as his Guardian dropped back within him, "twenty to go." Max and Yuffie nodded but then they heard the robot speaking in several different voices to others. Max raised an eyebrow and they followed the voices.

"So, you're an alien?" a teenage girl's voice said. Riku heard the robot start clapping.

"Give the young lady a prize," it said. Riku, Max, and Yuffie approached the crest of the hill where the robot was towering above them all from and looked down when they heard a gasp.

"I do not believe this," a boy said in awe. Riku grew uncomfortable as he found that the boy was staring at him. Before he could question this behaviour he heard a strange sound coming from beside him and moved out of the way in shock as the robot transformed into a dusty, old, yellow Camaro with black racing stripes. The door opened in it and its constantly changing voice spoke again.

"Any more questions?" Riku could see the girl looking at the other boy apprehensively.

"Sam," she began uncertainly, "I don't know about this." The boy, Sam, looked pointedly at her.

"Forty years down the road when you're looking back don't you want to say that you had the guts to get in that car with me?" he asked. The girl took one look at the car, then back to him, before dashing straight up the hill and getting inside. Sam walked up the hill and stood next to Riku. Sam nodded at him like he was wrestling with some inner conflict and glanced at Yuffie and Max.

"What?" Riku asked, folding his arms. Sam looked back at him.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "What makes you think anything's wrong?"

"He didn't say that," Yuffie began but Sam cut her off.

"Nothing is wrong. Okay? Everything's fine. Apart from finding out that my car is a super powerful transforming Japanese robot and I'm standing next to two video game characters and Max from Goof Troop, this is all normal." The three exchanged confused looks with each other before looking back at Sam, who was getting into the car.

"What?" Max asked, scratching his head. Riku shook his head and looked up into the starry night sky to see, to his displeasure, a star winking out. He sighed as he looked at the blank space where a world had stood before something caught his eye. A tiny light was streaking towards him right from where that world had been. He wrinkled his eyebrows and turned slightly to face the light and he could suddenly tell that it wasn't a light at all; it was a very small object hurtling towards him.

"Riku what is it?" Yuffie asked, catching sight of the object in the sky. Riku simply shook his head and braced himself for whatever it was to make impact. The small object sped towards the ground at a high velocity and the three braced themselves for the impact, but it stopped an instant before it hit and landed lightly next to Riku's right foot. Riku unfolded his arms and picked it up. It was a silver oval with the image of a toddler in overalls and an oblong head adorned on it.

"Hey that looks kind of like the one I found and gave to Sora," Max said, getting a look at the charm. Riku nodded and pocketed the summon charm and looked at Sam, who patted next to the seats where he and the girl were sitting.

"Get in," he called. "If you're looking for heartless or the keyhole or whatever I have a feeling you should come with us." Yuffie and Max started and glanced in shock at Riku, who had maintained his calm exterior. Riku moved first and got into the back seat of the car. Yuffie sat next to him, and Max squeezed in on the end. The doors closed and the car started moving. Riku glanced at Sam and saw that he wasn't driving the car. Sam saw his glance in the rear view mirror and looked back at them.

"Riku, Yuffie, Max," he said, surprising all of them, "this is Mikaela."

Way to the Dawn immediately appeared in Riku's hand and with astounding quickness was pressed up near Sam's throat just after he glanced at the girl sitting next to Sam.

"How do you know our names?" Riku asked, ignoring the fearful glances that were being sent in his direction. His eyes held only those of the boy's in front of him, quaking with fear as cold sweat rolled down his face.

"Okay," Sam said quickly, "so you're real. Can you put the keyblade away please?" Instead of withdrawing his weapon, Riku pushed it slightly closer.

"How do you know of the keyblade?" Riku asked in a low growl, sounding as intimidating as possible. Sam gulped and wiped some of the sweat off his forehead.

"Okay long story short," Sam began anew, his voice rising an octave. "In our world, you and Yuffie are both from a series of video games. Max is from an animated TV show, and in both his and Yuffie's case, from movies." Riku held the keyblade near Sam's throat for another tense second before it vanished. They all breathed sighs of relief and Yuffie raised an eyebrow at Sam.

"Go on," she said excitedly. Sam looked at her in confusion and Yuffie scoffed her head upwards as they entered a tunnel. "Tell us about those games and movies!" Sam looked at Mikaela and she nodded at him.

"Don't worry," she said, slightly bashful. "I'm a gamer too, I don't only fix cars." Sam nodded and mouthed 'yeah' to himself before looking at Riku, Yuffie, and Max again, who were all getting themselves into as luxurious positions as possible given the cramped conditions in the back.

"It's like this, okay?" Sam began, starting with Yuffie. "Yuffie here is originally from a series of games called Final Fantasy, or FF abbreviated. You're an optional character that the player can get in FFVII, which is your only FF debut out of currently twelve numbered FF titles. However," he continued hastily at Yuffie's enragement, "you're also in FFVII: Advent Children, which is a movie, FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus, which is another game that features Vincent Valentine mostly instead of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Cid, Barrett, Nanaki or Red XIII as he's called, Caith Sith, you, Vincent, and last but not least, Sephiroth."

"Not to mention," Mikaela added as their head swiveled to her, "that you're in the Kingdom Hearts series of Kingdom Hearts, KH: Chain of Memories, and KHII." Yuffie nodded and looked impressively at the other two.

"Ha," she laughed at Riku. "I'm in five games and a movie! Top that!"

"Don't forget the Kingdom Hearts manga," Sam added quickly, his face cracking into a grin. Yuffie laughed again and pumped her fist. Sam then turned to Max.

"Max, Goofy's son," he began as the others looked at Max, "debuted in a TV series called Goof Troop, where you, your dad, and your cat Waffles were neighbors with Pete, his wife Peg, his son PJ, his daughter Pistil, and his little dog who's name I can't remember."

"And then you're from the Goofy Movie and its sequel," Mikaela added. Max nodded and rubbed the back of his head, his fingers straying over a red headband.

"Where's Roxanne from?" he asked timidly. Mikaela smiled.

"The Goofy Movie as well," she answered and Max nodded, privately glad that they were in the same movie, even if it's only on another world. He turned his head and looked at Riku.

"What about you then?" he asked. Riku smirked.

"Judging by what you said about Yuffie," he answered before Sam could speak up, "I guess I'm in the Kingdom Hearts series." Sam nodded.

"Right," he said. A moment of tense silence passed in the car before Sam got the courage to speak again. "So, did Sora and Kairi ever get together?" Riku gave a shallow gasp and looked up at him before glancing around seriously at the others.

"What I'm about to say cannot leave this car," he said, his tone leaving no argument. Yuffie and Max looked worriedly at him but nodded along with Sam and Mikaela. Riku sighed and began. "Yes, they did get together, but Sora is currently thinking of breaking up with Kairi because of that dam prophecy." Sam and Mikaela shared confused glances with each other and Max while Yuffie became enraged.

"How could they?" Yuffie growled. She pounded her fist on her leg and bared her teeth. "That stupid prophecy! They should just throw what it says away!" Riku inched slightly further away from Yuffie, her sudden hostility was starting to scare him.

"How do you know that anyway?" Max asked in his confusion, also shifting away from Yuffie. Riku looked over at him past the seething eighteen-year-old.

"They're in here," he said affectionately, holding a hand to his heart. "I can see and talk to their spirits whenever I want. That's how I know, and it's also how the darkness in me shifted into dawn. They helped me back to the light." Max nodded approvingly while Sam still shook his head.

"Wait what prophecy?" he asked. "Nomura hasn't said anything about a prophecy." Yuffie stopped in her fuming and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Nomura?" she asked. "Who's he?"

"He's the creator of the whole Kingdom Hearts franchise on this world," Mikaela explained. "And right now, he's been pretty tight-lipped about what KH3 is going to be about. But he has revealed three new games in the works. One on Roxas' life in the Organization and the apparent XIV member of Organization XIII, another on King Mickey, and the third on Terra, Aqua, and Ven."

"Who?" Riku asked. Sam glanced at him.

"You mean you don't know much about the knights either?" he asked. Riku shook his head before looking at Sam again.

"They're knights?" he asked in incredulity. "The prophecy deals with a knight." Sam raised an eyebrow.

"It does? Well, what is it?" Max repeated the prophecy, but it just left Sam and Mikaela in the dust. Sam shook his head sadly.

"Whoa, there is a lot in there," he stated to himself. "Sorry I can't be of more help to you guys, but this is just one crazy night." They went over a bump and the three in the backseat were thrown up as there were no seatbelts in the back.

"Ow," Yuffie said quietly as she landed on the hard seat. "If this is some awesome fighting robot, why does it turn into this piece of crap Camaro?" The car instantly slammed on its brakes, throwing the three in the back forward and into the front seat, Riku and Max colliding with Sam and Mikaela. The doors opened before they could recover and an invisible force ejected them all from the car and out into the dimly lit tunnel. The car drove away as they began to recover.

"Great job Yuffie," Sam said. "You made him angry." Riku shook his head as Yuffie began to refute Sam's claim and Sora's voice spoke in his head.

_Use your Dawn Riku,_ he said.

_What do you mean?_ Riku thought back. How was he supposed to know what Sora meant by that? He had only been able to use the Guardian and two offensive powers since acquiring the Dawn, and he hadn't had much time for experimentation.

_Try pooling it around your feet,_ Spirit Sora continued, _and then skating on it._ Riku shrugged and sent his power down to his feet. To his surprise he began to feel a floating sensation and he looked down. He was standing on small arrows of darkness that cushioned him from the ground. Riku raised an eyebrow and pushed off. He began to skate forward, trails of golden light following behind his feet. Riku let out a small laugh to himself and Yuffie and the others looked over at him, Yuffie and Max smirking slightly.

"Well," Max sighed. "Riku has a way around, what about us?" Just then the car drove back, but it wasn't the same car. Instead of an old, beat-up look, the car was sleek, and looking like the newest model right off the assembly line. Sam circled his car in awe, completely speechless by how totally awesome it now looked. Mikaela, Yuffie, and Max looked at the car in awe as well and Max patted Sam on the back, while Riku sunskated around the car, finding that with the slightest adjustment he could increase or decrease his speed, go into the air, and even go upside down and horizontal on the tunnel slopes. Riku bladed across to the other side of the tunnel, spun around on a dime, and began heading straight for the car. Sam yelped in panic as Riku reached the car but with a quick flick upwards of his ankles Riku went up at a sharp 90° angle and flipped in the air before landing smoothly on the road, chuckling at Sam's relieved expression.

"Don't scare me like that again," Sam said shakily, holding onto the top of his car for support with one hand and opening the door with the other. Max laughed and they all got into the car, Mikaela's face glowing at Sam as she checked out the new sound system in the car. Sam looked slightly uneasily at her and flipped on the stereo as the car started driving forward. Their ears all perked up when it suddenly switched off of the news after a few minutes to a song.

"Oh I love this song," Yuffie said quietly as Kiss from a Rose by Seal started, and she snuggled herself a little into her seat, and Riku's shoulder. Sam looked back at the two of them as a slight blush began to creep onto Riku's face.

"Hey!" he said in a warning tone over the intro. "Seatbelts." Yuffie grimaced and removed herself from Riku to do up her seatbelt while the song actually began.

"You know Riku," Sam began after a minute of them all listening to the song, "you haven't told us yet just why you guys are here." Riku looked up from where he had been looking at Yuffie, lost in his own thoughts.

"What?" he asked. "Oh." Riku rubbed the back of his head, reasoning that this might not be a good thing to tell people who know almost everything about Kingdom Hearts. "Well, long story short is that Maleficent is trying to take over the worlds."

"Again," Sam said pointedly.

"Again," Max agreed. "And your world is on the hit list."

If Sam had actually been driving the car, it most definitely would have swerved.

"Our world?" Sam asked in a squeak. Riku and Max nodded their heads.

"_Now that your rose is in bloom,_" Yuffie sang to herself quietly, completely oblivious to the conversation around her, "_a light hits the gloom on the grey_." Riku glanced at her and thought back to that morning when he had acquired the dawn.

"How does she know that song anyway?" Mikaela asked.

"Music is like, the only thing that the worlds have in common," Max said. "You should have seen Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Naminé, and I in Atlantica. Triton held a concert there and almost everybody knew or had at least heard the songs being sung. Let's see, there was Hammerfall, Elton John, Cascada, Bowling for Soup, ACDC, Bon Jovi, Shania Twain, Aaron Pritchett with Hold My Beer, you get the idea." Mikaela and Sam nodded.

* * *

They drove through the city streets for a while after that while Riku and Max filled Sam in on the basic details; no sign of heartless, nobodies, or the keyhole so far. To their surprise and discomfort the car turned off the main roads and into the alleys when suddenly it stopped in the middle of a wide alley. Riku warily got out of the car and looked around. There was nothing special in sight, no reason at all as to why they were there. He glanced behind him at Max and shrugged. A siren sounded and Riku whipped around, Way to the Dawn forming in his hand. A yellow medical alert vehicle was driving into the alley, as well as a small silver car and a large black truck. Riku looked at them with cautious interest as Sam and Mikaela got out of the car with Yuffie. A headlight shined into the corner of his eye and Riku turned around again, dismissing his weapon. At the end of the alley in front of him was the cab of a semi truck, red with blue flame decals running across the side. The semi cab drove up to them and stopped merely a foot away, the same insignia that was on Sam's car's steering wheel on the grill of the semi. An instant later the semi began to transform, as did all of the other cars in the area. Riku felt Yuffie's hand fly into his and he grasped it tightly. Riku found himself looking up at the face of the robot that had just transformed in front of him. A blue head, the metal side of the semi on his chest, tires into the sides of the robot's legs. The robot knelt down and looked straight into Sam's eyes. 

"Are you Samuel James Witwicky, ancestor of Archibald Witwicky?" the robot asked in a deep, kind voice.

"Yes," Sam replied apprehensively. The last robot who had asked him who he was had nearly pulverized him. The robot sighed in relief.

"Then we need your help," the robot said. He straightened up and towered to his full height. "I am Optimus Prime," he said, and turned towards the other transformers. "This is my second in command, Jazz." A robot that was small and had transformed from the car spun around and plopped himself down on the front end of a parked car, declaring that the alley was, 'A fine place to kick it.' "My weapon specialist, Ironhide." A large black robot with large rocket launchers on his shoulders came forward and pointed his fist at them, which transformed into a plasma cannon.

"Do you feel lucky, punk?" he asked. Riku, Max, and Yuffie pulled out their weapons and the Guardian reared up behind Riku. Riku smirked as he could tell that the robots were stunned and slightly amused.

"Calm down Ironhide," Optimus Pride said. "We don't destroy humans."

"I was just showing them my cannons," Ironhide said, withdrawing his cannon and turning it back into a hand. Riku dismissed his keyblade and his Guardian while Max sheathed the Defender and Yuffie stashed her shuriken away. Optimus Prime shook his head and turned to the yellow robot that had transformed from the medical vehicle.

"Our medic, Ratchet." Ratchet sniffed and looked at them.

"The boys' pheromone levels suggest that they want to mate with the females," he stated. Mikaela and Yuffie both looked at the boys and they all shifted uncomfortably.

"And you already know your guardian," Optimus Pride continued, switching his gaze to the last transformer, "Bumblebee."

"Bumblebee?" Sam said, looking over at the robot, who was doing a quick dance jig to some music he was playing. "You're my guardian?" Bumblebee nodded. Yuffie cocked her head at him.

"So you talk through the radio?" she asked. Before a response could be gained from any of the robots she popped another question. "Are you sure your name is Bumblebee? You look more like a Hot Rod (A/N 1)?"

"He is Bumblebee," Optimus Prime said. "We don't know where Hot Rod is. And Bumblebee's vocal processor was damaged." Ratchet shot out a small red laser at Bumblebee's neck.

"I'm still working on him," he said.

"We are Autonomous Robotic Life Forms from the planet Cybertron," Optimus Prime said.

"But you may call us Autobots for short," Ratchet added.

"Autobots, right." Sam stated to himself, looking up at Optimus.

"We have learned Earth's languages through the World Wide Web," Optimus explained, answering Sam's unspoken question.

"Why do you need our help?" Mikaela asked. Optimus Prime looked at them all and he began playing a hologram.

"Life on our planet was made by a cube known as the Allspark," Optimus explained as the hologram showed them a fiery world filled with highly advanced technology, and transformers at war with each other. "All was peaceful on Cybertron until we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. War raged on Cybertron over the Allspark until eventually, it was lost into space. Megatron left to find the Allspark, and he tracked it down here, to Earth. But he miscalculated his landing, and ended up landing in the frigid north. Megatron found the Allspark, but was unable to escape and remained frozen in the Arctic." Optimus looked directly at Sam.

"Your great-great grandfather Captain Archibald found Megatron buried beneath the ice and accidentally activated his inertial navigation system which etched the Allspark's coordinates onto his glasses." Riku looked over at Sam to see that a giant weight seemed to appear within the boy. "We need the Allspark to return life to our planet," Optimus continued, "but if the Decepticons get it first, they can turn all of Earth's technology into Decepticons as well, and will destroy the human race."

"So we get the glasses," Max said, "find the Allspark, and beat the Decepticons and heartless, and find the keyhole all before the world comes to an end." He looked over at Sam and smiled. "No pressure right?" Sam and Optimus nodded.

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus commanded. They all turned back into their vehicles and the four humans and Max got back into Bumblebee.

They drove to Sam's house, a nice three story split-level with a pristine green lawn and beautiful stone fountain in front as well as a greenhouse. Sam got out of the car and the other Autobots transformed. A small Chihuahua with a cast on one leg ran up past Sam and piddled on Ironhide's leg.

"You have a rodent infestation," Ironhide said, his arm turning into a plasma cannon. "Shall I remove it?" Sam ran up and grabbed his dog before Ironhide could shoot him.

"No this isn't a rodent this is a Chihuahua!" he said. "This is my pet Mojo. We love Chihuahuas on Earth don't we Mojo? Oh yes we do."

"Put the gun away Ironhide," Optimus said.

"He lubricated on me," Ironhide mumbled to himself.

"Now go find those glasses boy," Jazz told Sam.

"Okay, but you guys have to be quiet," Sam replied before rushing up to the door, where he was confronted by his father.

"Uh oh," Riku mumbled. "It's his dad, hide." He, Yuffie, Max, and Mikaela ducked into a back alley behind the house with the rest of the Autobots, waiting for Sam to find the glasses. But the Autobots were impatient and annoyed at the parents, so much so that Ironhide and Jazz wanted to shoot them just to make things easier. Ratchet moved around nervously and accidentally ran into a power line, receiving an electric shock. He fell down onto the greenhouse, his head spinning.

"Whoa," he said. "That felt good."

"Clumsy," Jazz muttered.

"The parents are looking," Yuffie warned, getting the Autobots back behind direct line of sight from the front window. Optimus moved over to the window in Sam's room and lifted Mikaela, Riku, Yuffie and Max all through the window, shining a light from a headlight into the room because the lights were out from Ratchet's power trip. Max began rummaging through the room, looking for the glasses when he picked up a game.

"Hey Sam," he called, holding it aloft. "This the Kingdom Hearts game you were talking about?" Sam looked over and nodded. Riku looked down at it.

"We have the same system aboard the _Highwind_," he said to himself. Max looked back at Sam. "Mind if we borrow it?" Sam didn't even look back.

"Yeah sure," he said, still looking for his bag. "The sequel should be around there somewhere, as well as FFVII. Take them both if you want, just make sure you bring back FFVII sometime. It's like, impossible to get nowadays." He nodded and stashed the three games. Sam suddenly froze when he heard his dad call his name.

"My parents are coming," he said. "Quick, all of you hide!" The light from a headlight shined in his face. "And get those lights out!" Riku, Yuffie, Max, and Mikaela all dived behind the bed to stay out of sight.

"Ow!" Riku hissed as they heard knocking. "Yuffie your knee's in my gut!"

"Well Max's sheath is poking my back!" she hissed back.

"Sorry."

"Shush!" The heard the door open.

"What's up?" Sam asked his parents. "What's with the bat?"

"We thought we heard voices," his dad said.

"Yeah well, you didn't. Hey why are you trying to come into my room?"

"It's _my_ house! I can come in if I want."

"Yes but you see it's _my _room." Sam argued back. "This is my own little personal space. Knock if you want to come in."

"We did knock," his dad said.

"No you didn't," Sam argued. "You just barged up here and started yelling at me."

"Oh Sam, stop being so defensive," his mother said. "What could you have been doing to get you so riled up? Were you… masturbating?" the group behind the bed tried their very hardest not to break out laughing like idiots.

"What?! No Mom I was not masturbating!" Sam retorted in indignation.

"Honey, that's a father-son topic you don't need to talk to him about that," Sam's father said.

"Well you both don't need to be so stuck up about it," Sam's mother said. "If you don't like calling it that why don't we call it, Sam's happy time?"

"MOM!" Sam yelled while Riku's ribs were starting to crack from holding in his laughter. "It's not the word, it's the fact that you're here talking to me about it!" Riku strained to open his eyes in his mirth and saw Mikaela screw her face up into a neutral expression. Their eyes met for a brief second and she mouthed "Time to end this." Mikaela suddenly stood up and the bickering by the door ceased.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Mikaela. I'm a friend of Sam's from school."

"Oh," Sam's mother said in surprise. "We didn't know you were here. Sorry you had to hear our little family discussion."

"Yeah, Mom do you know where my bag is?" Sam asked.

"It's in the kitchen son," his dad said. Sam nodded.

"Okay let's go get it," he declared. On cue, Riku, Max, and Yuffie all stood up next to Mikaela walked up to Sam with Mikaela in tow. Needless to say, Sam's parents were in a total state of shock at this point. They all went downstairs, and Riku and Max finally let out their laughter like a rushing torrent.

"Oh man," Riku said as they were exiting the house onto the wrecked lawn. "You're parents are a laugh riot."

"You think so huh?" Sam came back. "Well I'd be laughing my head off too if that happened with your parents." Riku stopped dead in his tracks and Yuffie stopped a pace after him along with Max. Sam kept walking for another few steps until he noticed that they weren't following.

"Hey did I say something wrong?" he asked, noticing that Yuffie had placed a hand on Riku's shoulder, a small tear forming in her eyes as Riku's became hard.

"My parents," Riku growled, "are dead. They died when a Behemoth trampled our house on the Islands."

"I'm sorry," Mikaela and Sam said simultaneously. Riku shook his head.

"Sora and Kairi's parents died that night as well," Riku continued, lifting his head to look at the starts in the night sky. "And many of our friends, classmates, and people we didn't even know. Maleficent had one of her henchmen attack the Islands before she had attained the power of Kingdom Hearts and we never even stood a chance. Now she has the largest army in all the worlds and is the most powerful evil we've ever faced. We need all the help we can get to avenge the Islands and bring her down before she can bring harm to all the other worlds out there."

"We will help you Riku, when we have the Allspark." Riku looked up, searching for the voice. There was Optimus Prime, standing with the other Autobots looking down on them. Riku hadn't even noticed but as he was talking his feet had carried him into the alley with the others. "We know what it's like to lose loved ones," Optimus said, looking down sadly. He jerked his head after a moment and looked at Sam. "Have you got the glasses?" Sam nodded and extracted a pair of circular spectacles from his bag. Prime took the glasses before giving them back to Sam.

"You keep them for now Sam," he said. "We'll search for the cube tomorrow." Sam nodded and he placed them back in his bag. Shouting reached their ears and Riku jerked his head back towards the house.

"What's going on?" he asked. Sam shook his head and they walked back into the house through the back door. Inside were Sam's parents surrounded by several men in black suits.

"Hello son," one of the suits said. "Have you seen any aliens?" The suit jerked his hand and a technician came in with a strange measuring device.

"Aliens?" Sam asked. "What are you talking about there's no such thing as-" he was cut off when the machine started to emit loud beeping noises.

"They've made direct contact," the technician said in a tone that indicated both awe and fear. The suit looked up and spotted Riku, Yuffie, and Max.

"And there appears to be more than one kind of them," he said to himself. "Right," he said aloud and flipping out his badge. "Agent Simmons of Sector 7, I'm placing you all under arrest."

"Sector 7?" Mr. Witwicky asked. "Never heard of it."

"And you never will," Simmons said. "Cuff them and confiscate the weapons on those two." Agents moved forward and quickly stripped Yuffie and Max of their weapons while handcuffing them. Riku, Yuffie, and all the others were shouting in protest, Mr. Witwicky yelling something about tax dollars, while Max simply looked amused. They were all lead outside and Sam, Mikaela, Riku, Yuffie, and Max were all shoved into the back of a van with Agent Simmons while Sam's parents were lead over to another car.

"You have no right to be doing this," Mikaela protested from her seat. "It's illegal."

"Zip your lip missy," Simmons cut back. "You're in no position to be making demands especially with your father's parole coming up next month." Mikaela fell silent and the others looked at her.

"Parole?" Sam asked. Mikaela looked down ashamedly.

"Remember when I told you my dad and I worked on cars?" she asked. "They weren't always his."

"And she's got her own Juvie record to prove it!" Simmons declared. "She's a criminal."

"When were you planning on telling me this?" Sam asked. Mikaela just shied her head away from him and looked at Riku, Yuffie, and Max.

"I hope you three aren't too upset about this," she said. Max waved his cuffed hands in the air.

"Ah don't worry about it," he replied airily. "I've worked with criminals before: Pirates, cutthroats, street rats. Did you know Jack Sparrow let Davy Jones take Sora, Kairi, and Will to the _Dutchman_?" He paused at Sam and Mikaela's incredulous looks before leaning back again. "But it still doesn't matter. I've been arrested in Port Royal and now here. I'm really gaining a bad rep, ahyuk." Max froze in place and snapped his head towards Riku and Yuffie.

"Did I just 'ahyuk'?" he asked. They nodded their heads and Max looked seriously at them. "If I ever do that again, slap me. Only my dad 'ahyuk's." The car suddenly slammed to a stop and they felt as if something was lifting up the car. Riku looked up towards the roof and saw that the metal was being worn through. Suddenly the top gave way and the van fell back to the road with a loud bang.

"Oh you're in trouble now," Sam said in the now convertible van. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to my friend, Optimus Prime." Optimus looked angrily down at the Sector 7 agents and Simmons put up his hands.

"You don't look very surprised or scared to see us human," Optimus said as Ironhide readied his plasma cannon.

"Look," Simmons said, flustered. "I'm not authorized to talk to you other than to say that, I can't talk to you."

"Let the humans and Max go," Optimus ordered. Realizing that his life might be on the line, Simmons complied and within a few minutes, he and the other agent in the van were both handcuffed behind a street lamp.

"You won't get away with this," Simmons barked. "This is a federal offense! You'll be lucky to ever see the other side of a jail cell when we get through with you!"

"Tough talk for one stuck behind a pole," Mikaela taunted before grabbing Simmons' tie and pulling his head towards hers. "Never threaten my father again," she whispered savagely. She released Simmons and he inclined his head towards the other agent while they all climbed on Optimus.

"Alert the military," he whispered.

"They already know," the agent said while they left. He lifted his hand to barely show his cell phone. "Speaker." Within minutes of them leaving the scene helicopters began scouring the area, searching for the Autobots and teens. Optimus grabbed Sam and Mikaela in his hand while Riku, Yuffie, and Max clung onto his torso as they hid on the underside of a bridge over a concrete half-pipe. Mikaela slipped and started to fall but Sam grabbed her, his legs being held by Optimus. But Sam's legs were too small for Optimus to maintain a firm grip and he slipped down.

"Sam!" Yuffie yelled, reaching out an arm. "Mikaela!" Yuffie leant down further as she watched them fall and her own grip gave way.

"Yuffie!" Riku yelled, jumping down after her as she fell. Max sighed and leapt off of Optimus too. Bumblebee raced out of the shadows and caught them all in the air when military personnel arrived. They cuffed the teens again and started spraying Bumblebee with fire extinguishers. Bumblebee recoiled from them in pain but he was surrounded.

"Stop it!" Sam yelled. "He's not fighting back! Stop hurting him!" He was wrung around and came face-to-face with Agent Simmons again.

"You're coming with us," Simmons said. He ordered them to all be taken into the back of another van and slammed the door shut. They all heaved a collective sigh.

"Third time arrested this month," Max said aloud. "Maybe I should try setting a record."

"Don't," Mikaela replied quickly. "You don't want that." Max looked down at the handcuffs and then at the door.

"To bad Kairi isn't here," he said. "She could have just blown up the door and we'd be off again." Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Who says you need Kairi to do it?" he asked. "I could do it." Max looked over at him.

"Yeah, but she escaped from jail first by blowing up wrought iron bars," he explained. "You'd just be popping open a door."

"What do you think they'll do to Bumblebee?" Sam asked quietly. Dismal silence met his question until one by one, they fell asleep.

_(A/N 1: I seriously thought that it was Hot Rod for the longest time until Optimus said it was Bumblebee. Any of you think that too?)_

* * *

Riku couldn't tell whether he was awake or asleep anymore. Had weeks or days passed? One quick glance at his watch told him that it was only the afternoon of the day after their two arrests. They had been in that van for what seemed like an eternity in the darkness, only lighting up when someone ventured to check the time. They were all starving and thirsty, and Riku would give anything even to just see that snotty, stuck-up, Agent Simmons from Sector 7. 

His wish was soon granted. As soon as the van came to a stop the doors flung open, blinding them in the intense light. After Riku's eyes had adjusted and saw the Agent's mug he couldn't remember why exactly he wanted to see the man again.

"Come on out company," Simmons said lightly. Sam quickly got out of the van and poked Simmons in the chest while the others slowly got out.

"Where's my car?" he asked. Simmons pushed Sam's accusing finger away.

"Your car has been confiscated by the government," Simmons replied coolly. "And we require your assistance."

"My help?" Sam asked angrily. "Why would _you_ need _my_ help?"

"You made first contact with the aliens," Simmons replied. "You know the most about them. We want your cooperation to help us fight the creature that attacked our base in Qatar."

"Okay, fine," Sam said. "But it's not going to come cheap."

"Oh heaven forbid," Simmons said sarcastically. "We're bribing a teenage boy whatever shall we do? Whatever shall he want?"

"Can the sarcasm," Sam said roughly. "Now I want my car." He paused for a moment in thought. "Oh yeah and I want you to give Yuffie and Max's weapons back, and her Juvie record, that has to be gone. Like, completely." Simmons looked grimly at him.

"You drive a hard bargain," he said, "but alright." He shook Sam's hand and the six of them walked across the concrete that Riku just noticed they were standing on. They were on top of a huge hydroelectric dam spanning an orange canyon. They entered the dam from an access door and descended several flights of stairs.

"What you are about to see is totally classified," Simmons said as he walked through a door. They followed and found themselves being flanked by army personnel in the middle of a large room. Inside the room, the main attraction Riku surmised was a large metal robot frozen partially in ice. "This is UAV1," Simmons said.

"UAV1?" one of the military personnel asked.

"Unidentified Alien Vehicle Tech Sgt. Epps," Simmons replied. "Keep up with the acronyms. You are looking at the modern age. Everything from fighter jets to microwave ovens has been reverse engineered from UAV1."

"It's Megatron," Sam said in awe. Simmons swiveled his head around to look at Sam.

"He's the leader of the Decepticons," Riku said. "A hostile alien race."

"His name is UAV1," Simmons retorted.

"Yeah well UAV1 aka, Megatron," Sam spat back, staring hard into Simmons' face, "was discovered by my great-great grandfather in the Arctic Circle. He crash landed here on Earth looking for the Allspark."

"Allspark?" the leader of the army platoon asked.

"Oh it's this cube thing that can bring machines to life," Max said, noticing as he said the word 'cube' that Simmons froze. The army guy noticed it too.

"You know where it is don't you?" he asked Simmons.

"Perceptive aren't you Captain Lennox?" Simmons asked. "Follow me." They followed Simmons through another set of doors while he explained that they located the cube and moved it here and that President Hoover had the dam built to conceal its power. Riku was stunned into awe as soon as he saw the cube.

It was massive; at least four or five stories tall with Cybertronian text running all around it in blue lines that glowed and pulsated. Riku could feel power emanating from it and his hair tingled just being near it.

"We need to get this thing out of here," Riku said aloud. "The Decepticons are looking for it and with their leader right next to it your world is doomed."

"Why should we move it?" Simmons asked. "That thing would take forever to move."

"If we don't move it the Decepticons will use it to create an army out of your technology and conquer the galaxy!" Mikaela cried out.

"We're already fighting one war against Maleficent and the heartless," Yuffie hissed. "We don't need another one."

"Where's my car?" Sam asked quickly. "My car will be able to get the Allspark out of here."

"I don't have time to deal with your car son," Simmons said. Lennox pulled out his rifle and pointed it at Simmons.

"Get his car now," he ordered. Simmons opened his mouth, but any insult he might have had died in his throat and he led the way.

Sam burst through the door and saw Bumblebee under duress from the technicians spraying him with fire extinguishers. The technicians stopped spraying and Bumblebee changed his arm into a plasma cannon and aimed it at them, a visor forming over his face.

"No Bumblebee no," Sam said softly. "They aren't going to hurt you anymore. Listen, we know where the Allspark is." Bumblebee looked at Sam and the boy nodded, leading the way back to the chamber where the Allspark was. Yuffie stayed a moment longer in the chamber Bumblebee was held in and she spied her shuriken. A grin formed on her face as she grabbed it, her dagger, and Max's sword from the racks where they had been held.

"Did my baby miss me?" she asked as she cradled her shuriken to her face on the way back. Riku looked back and chuckled a little. Bumblebee reached the Allspark and raised his hands to touch it. From his touch a blue electric light glowed and the Allspark started to shrink. All present watched in awe as it wrapped itself down into a cube twice the size of a GameCube.

"Whoa," Max said as Bumblebee handed it to Sam. A technician in a white lab coat ran in up to Agent Simmons.

"UAV1 is defrosting," he said hurriedly. "Cryogenics has a critical failure."

"We need to get this thing out of here," Lennox said as Bumblebee transformed into a car again. "Sam, we'll watch your back, get to the nearest town. We'll make a stand there until we can get the cube into safe hands." Sam nodded and he clambered into Bumblebee along with Mikaela, Yuffie, and Max. Lennox looked inquiringly at Riku as the rest of his platoon got into jeeps with mounted machine guns.

"Aren't you getting in the car too?" he asked. Way to the Dawn appeared in Riku's hand as the glowing blue outline of a keyhole appeared in the concrete wall. Riku glanced at the keyhole as the convoy started to roll and the walls started to shake.

"No," he said, pointing Way to the Dawn's tip at the keyhole. "I'll catch up. You get going now." Lennox nodded and got into a jeep at the head of the convoy. A beam of light shot out of the tip of Riku's keyblade and sealed the keyhole with a faintly audible click. The walls shuddered again and Riku could hear a very loud voice yell "I am MEGATRON!" Riku's eyes widened slightly in fear and he turned around and bolted after the convoy, already speeding away. Darkness pooled down onto his feet and Riku started sunskating away, trails of golden light trailing the path of his feet. Men of Lennox's platoon looked at him in awe as he caught up to them and passed the rear guard of the convoy. Riku looked further down the road and saw another convoy, lead by a red semi with blue flames on the side racing towards them.

"Optimus," he said in recognition as they reached each other on opposite sides of the highway. Without warning the Autobots spun around on the road and began trailing the military vehicles, forming the new rear guard of the now larger convoy. Riku sunskated up next to Bumblebee and could dimly hear the Autobot playing 'Chicks' n' Cars and the Third World War' on the radio.

"How appropriate Bumblebee," he said, peering through the front windows. Sam looked at Riku then glanced at the speedometer before looking back at Riku in shock.

"Riku, you're doing 55mph!" he exclaimed.

"Really?" Riku asked. "I can go faster." He then proved it by starting to skate into the air above the car, twirling over the car onto the other side of the highway, and outstripping Bumblebee to catch up with Lennox in the front vehicle.

"Show off!" Sam yelled out of his front window. Riku chuckled. It wasn't his fault that he held the power of Dawn.

"Bandits!" Tech Sgt. Epps suddenly yelled. He opened fire into the sky with the mounted machine gun. Riku looked up and behind on his six. In the sky were about twenty heartless as fighter jets. Riku continued skating backwards and lifted his palm up towards them.

"Ray of Dawn!" he roared, shooting off his burning arrow. The jet he was aiming for banked 90° right and swerved out of the way of the straight projectile of light. Another jet dove in on Riku, dodging the bullets being fired upon it, and started strafing the convoy with its guns. Riku waved his hand and a golden light suddenly formed a see-through dome around the convoy. The black bullets hit the dome and fizzled away in the light. The jet pulled up and Riku dropped the dome and fired off another Ray. It connected with a heartless jet and exploded, sending the heart into the sky out of the golden light. One of the jets on the wings launched a missile at Riku and he skated out of the path of the projectile. It landed on the other side of the highway, narrowly missing a passing car, and exploded in a dark burst of energy. There was a tremendous crunching sound and Riku looked to the rear of the convoy and saw Optimus transforming into his mech form to battle a Decepticon that had come up from behind. Ironhide as a truck picked up speed and roared next to Riku as he dodged a salvo of bullets.

"That's Bone-Crusher," Ironhide said, the grill on the front of the 4X4 moving like a mouth. "No worries, Optimus can handle him." Ironhide swerved do dodge a missile another jet had fired and grunted. "These heartless are getting on my nerves!" he said. Riku nodded and fired off another Ray, which was dodged.

"Come on!" Epps roared, firing the machine gun savagely. One of the jets was hit from the cross-fire between the front and rear machine guns and another ray of Riku's, causing a satisfactory explosion.

"Only a mile away!" Lennox yelled back at Epps and Riku as he saw the sign. Riku nodded and raised another shield against a missile. It hit the dome and exploded, but only a faint ripple of the shockwave reached them. Riku dropped the dome shield again and his brow furrowed even more as the heartless jets peeled off and climbed. Epps didn't look too happy about it either as they shared a look.

They drove into the center of the town and the Autobots transformed back from vehicles to their regular forms. Lennox had his men get the military vehicles into a circular defensive perimeter in the intersection and shut down the road while Epps bought some wireless radios to communicate with their allied air force, already on its way to the city. He had no sooner gotten into the middle of the street to stand next to Lennox, the teens, and the Autobots when an F22 flew overhead.

"They're here already," Lennox remarked. The F22 performed an Immleman turn and started bearing down at them.

"It's Starscream!" Ironhide yelled.

"Take cover!" Ratchet ordered as he and Ironhide grabbed two semi-trailers and placed them in front of them to give them some cover. Jazz grabbed Max and Mikaela and started running to the concrete buildings on the side of the road. Riku looked up at the jet and saw the remaining heartless jets forming up on his wing. Riku started running to the edge of the road when he saw Yuffie standing there in the center, paralyzed in fear at the salvo of rockets that had just been fired. Riku didn't spare another glance at safety and dashed at Yuffie. His Guardian reared up behind him and grabbed her. Yuffie gave a small cry of surprise and the Guardian flung her at the building on the side.

Yuffie hit the building and fell onto the ground as small debris began to pebble the street. She looked up from the ground into the center of the road and seized up. Her vision was clouded by the explosions of the real missiles fired from Starscream and the missiles of darkness the heartless jets had fired but only one thing was going through her mind. Riku had been at ground zero of the explosion.

"RIKU!"

* * *

_Call me evil again all you want, for the cliffhanger and Riku's demise. Note though, I have not yet specifically said that he is dead and think. This is Riku we're talking about._

_Summon hint is: This character airs on a Prime Time television series and a phrase he says is "What the Duece?"_

_Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is in October, not November, October! I'm Canadian, so sue me!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	29. Negotiations

_The author's note for this chapter is that there is no author's note apart from congratulations to __**xSiNx**__ for correctly guessing the summon character._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, Namco, or Legendary Frog._

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXIX: Negotiations

"Your Majesty I'm afraid I must still disagree," Master Yen Sid said within the dais of audience chamber of Disney Castle. King Mickey was sitting on his throne and Queen Minnie in her own next to his. Axel and Mulan with Mushu on her shoulder were flanking them, and Naminé and Roxas were standing idly nearby. "Kairi is not the only option for the chosen child's mother. It could in fact be any one of the seven princesses."

"But I still don't see how it could be any other than Kairi," King Mickey argued back. "She is Maleficent's most dangerous enemy of all the princesses and one of the few who are not already engaged to be married to princes."

"Princes can be knights dear," Queen Minnie reminded her husband. "You yourself are one." King Mickey nodded.

"That's true, I had forgotten that," he said before looking at his master again. "But Kairi is still the likeliest choice."

"I am not disagreeing with you on that," Yen Sid said. "I am merely saying that she is not the only option. But if it is Kairi you are looking at, may I direct your attention at Naminé?" Naminé brought her head up in surprise. This was the first new point that had been made since she and Roxas had been summoned from Twilight Town to the Castle yesterday.

"Me?" she asked as Roxas placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why me?"

"You were a part of Kairi," Yen Sid explained. "And are now a whole being on your own like Roxas. But because of what you were, you are now Kairi's twin sister which makes you, if I'm not so bold in saying so, the eighth princess of heart, and a princess of the Radiant Garden." Naminé and Roxas joined in the group's collective gasp.

"An eighth?" Mickey asked before slumping in his seat and holding his head. "I'm sorry Naminé, I had forgotten about you. Now this only complicates things. If it is Kairi, which Kairi? And if it isn't Kairi, then why couldn't you be the seventh and Kairi the eighth? Wait, that doesn't make sense. Or could it be Alice or Cinderella?"

"But what about me?" Roxas asked heatedly. "Sora isn't a knight and neither am I. And our hearts have darkness in them. Does that mean that Kairi or Naminé could end up losing us and falling in love with another?" He turned and looked at Naminé, his face set and determined. "I'm sorry Nam, but I just won't go through with that, and I doubt you could either."

"You may not have to," King Mickey and Naminé both said simultaneously. Naminé looked in surprise at Mickey, wondering what he meant by that and Axel raised an eyebrow as well. Mickey stood up off his throne.

"Come here Roxas," he beckoned. Roxas shared a confused glance with Naminé and cautiously stepped forward, but Axel got in his way, holding his arms out.

"What are you going to do to Roxas your Majesty?" he asked. King Mickey looked up at Axel's face in displeasure.

"Stand down Axel," he ordered grimly. Axel's face shifted into one of frustration but he edged to the side to allow Roxas to pass. The boy moved past Axel and gave his friend a curt nod of thanks. Roxas stopped before King Mickey and looked at him, all the while wondering what could be happening. Mickey's golden keyblade appeared in the mouse's hand and Axel yelped in surprise while Roxas started, his Sleeping Lion springing into existence in his right hand.

"Stay your weapons Roxas," Mickey ordered, not at all surprised that his weapon had been drawn in an instant. In fact, he even sounded pleased. "And kneel." Shock flitted across the faces of everyone in the chamber at these last two words and Roxas' weapon vanished instantly as he knelt before the monarch. King Mickey raised his keyblade and tapped Roxas left shoulder, right shoulder, and head with the tip. The tip of his keyblade glowed for a moment after it had touched his head and purple and golden stars suddenly shot out of it and showered over Roxas. They fell back down behind Roxas' back and formed into a cloak of royal purple, trimmed with gold, and clasped about the front by a golden brooch in the shape of the King's Insignia. His sling had also changed in colour. Instead of the white, it was now the same as the cape that trailed from his back.

"Now rise," he commanded his voice bright and radiant, "Sir Roxas Dual Blade, Knight of Disney Castle." Roxas rose in front of King Mickey and bowed before him once more, his face filled with a shining smile.

"Thank you Your Majesty," he stuttered out in his elation. He could go no further though, as Axel and Mushu had suddenly pounced on him in celebration.

"Congratulations Roxas," Mulan said. "That was a very kind thing for His Excellency to do." King Mickey nodded as his keyblade disappeared and he plopped back up onto his throne. Queen Minnie and he began to whisper to each other, but Roxas wasn't paying attention, Axel and Mushu were drowning his ears out.

"All right Roxas!" Axel yelled happily, putting his best friend in a headlock. "Or should I say Sir Dual Blade? I like that name, so much better than the 'Key of Destiny' that the Superior gave you."

"Oh, you gonna kick heartless tail now buddy," Mushu said from atop Roxas' blonde spikes. "A knight! Knights are always the best guys, Captains too. You can always feel safer when you have a knight on your side." Mushu was further interrupted when Axel's weight finally caused Roxas' knees to buckle and he toppled down onto the red carpet and rolled off the dais, Master Yen Sid slowly sidestepping out of the way while he chuckled to himself.

"Watch that cloak you three," he said. "It's very regal." Roxas tried to look up through the mass of Axel and Mushu at the old sorcerer.

"Will do sir," he muffled through the tangled mass. "Hey watch the cast! That arm still isn't healed yet!" His vision of the man was blocked as Naminé's smiling face took up the small amount of space he was able to see out of.

"Sir Roxas?" she asked sweetly, drawing out his name. With superhuman strength Roxas shoved both Axel and Mushu off of himself, and to Mushu's displeasure Axel landed overtop of him. Roxas stood up quickly while the other two moaned and gave Naminé a bow.

"Yes Milady?" he asked with a smile on his face. Naminé stepped forward and positioned herself so that she fitted into the crook of his right shoulder.

"Would you do me the honor of escorting me on a date this Friday evening?" she asked politely. Roxas smiled and saluted her as best as he could with his left arm, as his unbroken right was wrapped around Naminé.

"Yes ma'am," he said. He dropped his arm and lifted his chin in thought. "Let's see, today's Wednesday, so two days away." Naminé giggled slightly and he chuckled as well before Queen Minnie broke it up.

"Well this gives us one more option," she said. "Roxas might lose the darkness in his heart somehow, and then it could be Naminé."

"So many possibilities," Master Yen Sid acknowledged gravely. "We must keep a watch on all of them, especially those who have knights as husbands or suitors." He paused and looked at Roxas and Naminé, who had just exchanged a gleeful glance. "The only princess we can rule out entirely would be Jasmine," he continued, "and it would be helpful if all the children born eventually went to the same place in their childhoods so they can keep watch on each other." King Mickey nodded but Minnie shook her head.

"That isn't being fair to the parents or the children," Queen Minnie argued. "How can we be deciding their fate when the beginning of the end of our current situation isn't even within sight?"

"We're just thinking about the future honey," King Mickey said quietly.

"We should be worrying about now Mickey," Minnie retaliated. "Maleficent is out there _now_. We can worry about the great evil that is yet to come when the suspect chosen children are born and Maleficent is defeated."

"Her army is great," Yen Sid said worriedly.

"That it is," a malevolent voice dripping with evil said throughout the room. The monarchs started while Yen Sid remained unmoved. The guards (being Axel, Mulan, Mushu, Roxas, and Naminé) growled and drew weapons, Naminé's shield appearing in her left hand while Mushu's muzzle began to smoke. A transparent figure of Maleficent with her crow sitting upon her right shoulder appeared on the red carpet in front of the steps leading to the thrones. Maleficent bowed before them.

"Your Majesties," she said, her voice betraying a hint of amusement. She rose from her bow and her eyes found the back of Yen Sid's blue robes. "Ah, Master Yen Sid," she sneered. "Finally found the time and reason to leave that decrepit old tower?" Yen Sid turned to glare at her, his blue eyes boring holes into her green ones.

"Yes Maleficent," he growled. "I have." They each held each other's gaze, their eyes flashing as if they were having a duel of mental strength and swords were flickering between them. Yen Sid suddenly recoiled his gaze and Maleficent smirked.

"How are you here Maleficent?" Queen Minnie asked fearfully. "The Cornerstone of Light-" Maleficent began laughing and Minnie stopped.

"Ah the Cornerstone," she cackled. "Yes, you hide behind your precious article of light. You have nothing to fear from me here radiant Minnie, that accursed orb is able to banish most of my darkness from this place." She smirked as they caught her words. "Most, but not all. Which is why I am able to stand here now, as this transparent ghost of myself. Unfortunately I cannot harm you with heartless or my powers within your sanctuary castle."

"So why are you here?" King Mickey growled. Maleficent shook her head at him.

"Such a temper your Majesty, it really doesn't fit you." She sneered at the look of loathing her taunt had given rise to on Mickey's face and looked pointedly at the guards, her eyes lingering on Roxas and Naminé for a moment longer than the others. "Ah, so the Nobodies have become real," she mused to herself. "And what's this?" She asked when she spotted the clasp on Roxas' cloak. "The King has made you a knight? How intriguing."

"I have come to offer you a choice," she said, startling them all. "The worlds are mine, and I stand to gain nothing from taking your pitiful castle. With the heart of every world that falls into darkness, my strength grows. Soon enough, I'll be able to walk in here whenever I like." A parchment appeared in her hands and she stepped forward and placed it sharply in King Mickey's hands.

"I'm sure you'll find my terms most agreeable," she said as she turned her back and walked back down off of the dais. "You have my guarantee that Disney Castle, the Radiant Garden, and Twilight Town, the three worlds that you seem to hold most dear, shall not be attacked, and in return you give me a free hand in the galaxy. The lives of the keyblade master," her gaze lingered on Roxas and her crow cawed, "other assorted wielders, and the princesses shall be spared, and they will be brought safely to one of the three worlds I leave alone for you. But they must never leave any one of those three worlds, and swear never to take up arms against me again."

"And should we refuse?" King Mickey asked strongly, staring at the parchment in his hands. Maleficent cackled at him and her crow cawed again.

"You are in no position to refute my terms King Mickey," she said when her fit subsided. "If you fight you are only playing for time to survive. Eventually it won't matter, I'll still crush you when you resist to your fullest extent. I know you aren't prepared to take me on alone. Look at your newest knight," she said, extending her hand towards Roxas and Naminé stood protectively in front of him, brandishing her shield towards Maleficent. Maleficent sneered excitedly at the development. "He's cowering behind his precious girlfriend, and he's been injured by a single one of my Charr heartless. If this is the best you keyblade wielders can do then you might as well give up now."

"And what's this I here from the Radiant Garden? No action is being taken against me, almost as if I am not an acting force. I heard that your wonderful Prime Minister Leon submitted a proposal yesterday that would have sent them to war against me, and that it got shot down." Maleficent reveled in the effect her gloat had on the defenders of light, the grim acknowledgement of that last fact taking its toll on them.

"You're alone," she emphasized. "And your champions are scattered and injured. You cannot win. My guarantees ensure your survival."

"Your guarantees guarantee… nothing," Master Yen Sid said, recovering from his fall. "All the years you've known us Maleficent seem to have done you no good." She raised her head at him in interest and her eyes narrowed while her crow eyed Yen Sid. "We aren't easily frightened by you Maleficent," Yen Sid continued. "Sora was your downfall before, and you will fall even farther the next time he succeeds. And should he fail then another will rise up and take his place to cast you down. And we also know just how hard it is to maintain control over many worlds." He bore down on her, the others coming up behind him leaving King Mickey and Queen Minnie on their thrones. Maleficent's shadow found herself surrounded by a ring of weapons and belching smoke. "So don't threaten or dictate to us until you're sitting in this throne and have seven masterless keyblades lying at your feet. And even then we won't listen." King Mickey heard Yen Sid's words and tore up the document in his hands before his golden keyblade appeared in his hand. With surprising speed he leapt out of his throne and slashed his blade through Maleficent's figure. Her imaged faded out of existence.

"So be it," her last words echoed out of her vanishing apparition. "Long live the King." Mickey kept his brow furrowed until the last traces of her were gone. He stood up to his full height and went back to sit in his throne.

"The maddening thing is she's right," he said. "We're not prepared, we're alone, we're playing for time." His head sunk in sadness. "And it's running out."

"Why was that bill shot down again?" Minnie asked "I hear the House never heard it because it didn't make it past the caucus meeting." Yen Sid looked at her.

"They said it wasn't their war," he said with a slight smile forming on his face. "The people would cry in outrage at their representatives at their refusal to go to war in they found out, but they won't listen to the constituents. Fortunately," Yen Sid swiveled on the spot to gaze at the space where Maleficent's specter vanished, "I think we might have provoked Maleficent enough to cause the pigs in Leon's own party, and anyone else in the House to realize that sitting back and doing nothing won't guarantee their safety. But they may still need a helpful reminder of what their monarchy wants."

"But we still don't know where Kairi is," Naminé protested. "How would they know what she wants if…" Naminé stopped as all eyes turned on her and the concept dawned on her as well. Kairi wasn't the only princess of the Radiant Garden now, she was as well. She could go and talk some sense into the blockheads opposing Leon.

"Guess we're up for a trip to the Radiant Garden then princess," Roxas said, stepping up to Naminé.

"You can take one of the two new ships that finished this morning," King Mickey said in delight. "Chip and Dale are really stepping up production and I don't want you guys traveling in corridors of darkness anymore."

"Even yourself your Majesty?" Axel asked. Mickey nodded.

"Even myself," he repeated. "Those corridors are getting too dangerous for us to travel in. We could be ambushed by Maleficent's forces at any time in there." The group nodded. Traveling by Gummi would be slower, much slower, than by portal but it was at least less dangerous than the portals through the realm of darkness could now be. Roxas and Naminé had felt it on their way through from Twilight Town the day before. A growing darkness that clouded their vision and made it more difficult for them to breathe slowly heightened with each passing moment they had spent in that corridor.

"We should let Leon know you two are coming," Queen Minnie said. "He may be able to quickly arrange a caucus meeting for you to speak with." Naminé shook her head.

"No, not just his caucus," she said. "If I can, I'd like to speak to the whole House of Commons." Yen Sid stroked his chin.

"That would be more effective," he said before stealing a quick glance at Roxas. "Make sure you use props," he advised before chuckling slightly, "or people to your advantage. Never doubt the power of a visual aid." Naminé glanced at her boyfriend too and smirked at his sling.

"I get your drift," she said slyly. Naminé spun on her heels and started walking off the dais on the red carpet, Yen Sid bowing as she made her way past him. "Come, Sir Dual Blade," Naminé said, giggling as Roxas grimaced and followed her. When they were out of earshot of the others Naminé turned her head towards Roxas. "I'm going to pay a visit to the fairies," she said. "Get myself equipped for battle. You can pick out a ship okay?" Roxas nodded, a grin forming. He'd get to pick out their ship! Roxas and Naminé parted ways once outside of the audience chamber and Roxas headed towards the courtyard while Naminé moved out towards the tower where the three good fairies were. Roxas made his way across the greenery of the courtyard and through the hedge castle into the hangar bay.

Roxas stopped in surprise as soon as he had entered. A roar of noise had greeted his ears and his senses were having trouble taking in the pace of the activity, flashes of the lights, sparks off of the welding torches, and the smell of molten metal. Roxas simply stood there, trying to take in the whirl of motion, sights and sounds before trying to get a hold of himself. He took a tentative step forward, gazing at the skeletal hulls of half finished ships being built. Brooms were bustling about in the area, polishing, welding, placing Gummi blocks down on the hulls of the ships, and two chipmunks seemed to be in charge of the chaos. They turned around when they heard Roxas coming.

"You're Roxas right?" Chip asked. "It's nice to finally meet you." Roxas nodded his head but jabbed his left thumb towards the clasp on his cloak.

"That's _sir_ Roxas," he said proudly.

"Well then congratulations are in order sir!" Dale piped up while he and Chip snapped to attention and saluted. "Let's celebrate the knighting with an acorn feast!" Chip smacked Dale upside the head.

"Is that all you can think about?" he asked angrily. "Food? We're on a tight schedule here even with productivity up by 200!"

"Ah but look at them all Chipper," Dale said, turning around and spreading his tiny arms wide to indicate the ships that were finished and being built. "We just finished one yesterday, two of them this morning, and that one over there is going to be done in another few hours thanks to Gadget taking pity on us and agreeing to work." A tiny white mouse with blonde hair in purple overalls poked her head out of a ship that already looked finished, a green fly buzzing around her head.

"Somebody say my name?" she asked aloud.

"We were just thanking you and Zipper again" Chip called.

"Aw no need to thank me guys," Gadget called, popping back into the ship again with a broom. "Zipper and I love doing this sort of stuff." Roxas looked down at the two chipmunks.

"She seems nice," he said.

"She sure is," Chip replied with a sigh. "Just don't make her angry or else you may find a ratchet hitting you on the side of the head." Roxas had a brief vision of that small mouse beating him to death with a wrench and he paled. A humorous smile spread on his face and he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll keep that in mind." Chip shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah well, is there something you wanted to see us for sir?" Roxas looked blankly ahead of him for a moment before he snapped, or tried to snap, the fingers on his left hand.

"That's it," he said in remembrance before looking down at the chipmunks. "The King and Princess Naminé instructed me to pick out a ship for myself and the princess." He placed a hand to his chin. "You know, I'm just not used to calling her a princess…" he trailed off quietly.

"Well look no further sir," Dale said, leading the way. "We'll show you to our top models, hot off the assembly line. Nothing the heartless will be able to match, and that's the truth." They lead Roxas away, and he found that they had done some renovating to the hangar bay. The first area that he had seen had become the production line and workshop, while there was a new room, twice as spacious as the audience chamber, which served as a true hangar bay where four ships were currently sitting in front of a large set of blast doors. Roxas could immediately tell that it needed to be that large because of the size of the _Avenger_. Three ships were inside, none of them the _Avenger_ as it was still away, and Roxas was lead over to them. Only one caught Roxas' eye though. It was a blue ship in the middle with angled blocks in front to form a conical point in the center. The bridge was concealed in the front middle, and wings span out from the sides, bristling with cannons. Two massive engines were mounted on the back. Chip and Dale looked at the ship that Roxas was thoroughly examining from the exterior.

"The _Hunter_ huh?" Chip asked. Roxas nodded, completely in awe of the ship. "The _Hunter_ is equipped with the best engine technology we have available, until Gadget probably builds another engine that's even better. She'll put any other Gummi ship to shame in a straight race and she's equipped with a warp drive and more than adequate weapons systems: four straight-shot fira cannons, two bi-directional blizzara cannons, two splash damage gravity cannons, and four auto-lock laser turrets."

"The cabin and living quarters for the maximum of two people are within the front cone," Dale added, leading Roxas up through the access ramp into the ship's hallway. "The _Hunter _is protected by a frontal energy shield to prevent damage to the living quarters, which are in the front of the cone, and the bridge, directly above the rear of the cabin. The bridge is accessed through a stairwell in the hallway that leads from the cabin to the engine room and kitchen. Bathrooms are like those aboard the _Highwind_ as attachments to the bedrooms." He turned to Chip as they stood within the bare cabin. "That's about it eh Chipper?"

"That's right," Chip said, nodding his head and looking up at Roxas. "She'll get you anywhere you want to go quicker than any other current ship and you'll be able to easily beat enemies back if you fall under attack. And with the shielding you probably won't even take any damage." Roxas nodded, a giddy smile on his face.

"I can't wait to fly this thing in combat," he said eagerly.

"Not with that arm you won't!" Chip said sternly, pointing at Roxas' broken left arm. Chip folded his arms. "You may be a knight sir, but you won't be able to fly this ship properly in a dogfight with a left arm in a full-arm cast." Roxas grumbled that he'd be able to fly it just fine under his breath when Naminé's voice reached them.

"Sir Roxas? Are you in here?" Roxas cold hear booted footfalls on the floor, which he just noticed was mahogany. Before Naminé arrived, Roxas glanced down at the two chipmunks.

"Do you guys always put down wooden floors?" he asked with a smile.

"Well sure," Dale said. "Who doesn't like a nice hardwood floor?"

"Well it's just that you have metal floors on parts of the _Highwind_ but you have a maple floor in the kitchen," Roxas replied.

"Yeah," Chip said. "We would have replaced all the metal with maple, but Sora, the princess, and Max left with the ship before we could finish the job."

"There you are," Naminé said as her head poked around the corner of the cabin entranceway. She came into full view and blushed slightly at her boyfriend. "Roxas," she pointed out, "you're drooling. I don't think that's appropriate knight behaviour." Roxas snapped his head up and wiped away the spit on the corner of his mouth. It wasn't his fault that the supreme awesomeness of the ship, coupled with the fact that he was now a knight, Naminé was a princess, and that she was now wearing the hottest warrior-princess outfit he had ever seen, (even Kairi in her black shirt and blue skirt couldn't best it in his opinion) would have been enough to make anyone drool. A silver circlet wound across her forehead underneath her blonde hair with a bright sky blue stone set in the center. She was garbed in a steely-blue cotton shirt that fastened in a ring around her neck and drew down, quickly widening from the fabric in the front to encompass her whole chest and joining roughly a quarter down her back to leave her shoulders bare. The shirt ended just above a pair of short white jean shorts with a belt of soft pink and a golden buckle. On her feet was a pair of short steely-blue boots that covered roughly half a foot above her ankle. On her back rested the shield Roxas had given her. Roxas wrestled control of his face while Naminé giggled and turned it into an annoyed expression, dimly registering that Chip and Dale were bowing.

"Yeah," Roxas said in a huff, turning his head aside, "like no knight would go gaga if he saw his princess looking so ravishing." He glanced at Naminé and saw her blushing slightly.

"Really? I didn't know 'ravishing' was in your vocabulary."

"Now that hurt."

"Should I kiss it better sir Roxas?" He glanced back at her, watching her coming closer to him, ready to fulfill her own wishes.

"I don't think that's appropriate princess behaviour," Roxas replied.

"I don't think that's appropriate behaviour with anyone else in the room!" Chip yelled in shock. Naminé and Roxas stopped and looked down, having forgotten that there were two others with them. Dale sighed.

"Aw Chip," he complained. "I was gonna watch that." Chip rounded on him in surprise.

"What?" He roared in anger with his tiny voice. "Come on you perverted rodent! We have work to do!" Chip grabbed his coworker by the ear and dragged Dale out of the ship, Roxas and Naminé following them to the access ramp. "Oh by the way," Chip said, his head popping back into view. "The _Hunter_ is yours now. So fit it out in whatever way you see fit." With that, his head left them and Roxas closed the access ramp.

"Fit it out?" Naminé asked as they walked back to the cabin. "What did he mean by 'Fit it out'?" They stopped and took one look at the empty cabin before quickly running into respective rooms and dashing back into the cabin, sweatdropping.

"We have to supply it all ourselves!" they said to each other before hanging their heads and sighing.

"We don't have any stuff," Roxas groaned. "We're going to have to make it all through magic! Oh we're so going to be out of energy when we're finished!" Naminé giggled slightly and Roxas looked at her. "How can you be laughing and be so calm about this?"

"You'll be out of energy," Naminé replied with a grin, "but I won't."

"What?" Naminé smirked and tapped her finger on the blue stone in the circlet she wore upon her brow.

"See this stone," she said mysteriously. "Merryweather made it for me; actually Merryweather made all of this for me because Flora and Fauna thought that one princess fighting was enough. But this stone…" Naminé left her sentence hanging for a moment to keep Roxas in suspense about it, and because she was enjoying toying with him for the moment. "Amplifies my magic," she concluded, "allowing me to cast many more spells with greater power without losing as much energy as using five times as many weaker spells from before."

"Which means," Naminé said, her face in one that scared Roxas to no end with how haunting it was, "that I'll be able to cast a level five black magic spell that will tax me less than casting five level three spells did before."

"ARG!" Roxas yelled in frustration, his hands gripping the sides of his head. "Now I'll never be able to beat you in a sparring match again!" Unseen to him, Naminé conjured a large and soft blue couch behind her and she sat down slowly. She closed her eyes and placed a finger to her chin, her head cocked slightly and a sweet smile plastered upon her face.

"It's good to be one of the girls huh?" she asked sweetly, taking pleasure in just how much her attitude was infuriating Roxas. Roxas saw something out of the corner of his eye and stopped, turning his head to look at the couch Naminé was sitting on.

"You just conjured a couch," he said, his finger that was pointing at it shaking, "and you're not even tired." Naminé nodded and in her hands a strawberry ice cream sundae appeared and she began eating with a spoon that had appeared with it, her eyes still closed. "I thought we couldn't conjure food?" Roxas asked, his eyes bugging out in surprise. "Merlin said that according to magical law it was impossible."

"I can conjure food," Naminé said simply, "because of this stone." Roxas inched a little closer to her. "And don't try touching it!" Naminé suddenly yelled, still with closed eyes. "It's imperishable, indestructible, and permanently set into this circlet which was magicked onto my head this way and practically impossible to take off. It's probably going to be on my head the rest of my life unless I want it off so don't even try it." With that she finished her sundae and vanished the empty bowl and spoon. She opened her eyes and sat up.

"Now what do you say we head off for the Garden and tackled the rest of the furniture and stuff while on the way?"

* * *

Maleficent came out of a trance within an area Sauron's fortress of Bara-dûr that the Dark Lord had explicitly set aside for her. It was her planning and strategic room. On the black walls, lit by fires from torches and the dark red ambient light that came from the many fires in the Orc-pits below, were star charts and maps of the galaxy that she herself had painstakingly researched while she resided within her numerous previous castles. On the table within that chamber were maps of Middle-Earth, troop reports from her various minions and allies, and a register that magically updated to allow her easy access and knowledge of the number of heartless she controlled on each world and in interspace. Maleficent moved out of the chair she had been sitting in while she was in the trance and snarled. She came to look at the star charts and surveyed each point that did not have red or yellow pins or a black thumbtack sticking into them with loathing. Those that had blue pins in them were controlled by her enemies, those with red belonged to her and yellow meant that heartless were on their way and it would soon fall victim to them, and a black thumbtack that eliminated all sight of that world from the chart meant that it had been destroyed and its heart was taken. If there was no marking, nothing had happened to that world that made it worthwhile for her to own, yet. But two dots were drawing the majority of her hatred at this moment. 

The ones labeled Disney Castle, and Radiant Garden.

She heard the swirling sound of a portal opening within the room and turned around to face her greatest champion, Nixion.

"Gazing at the star charts master?" he asked. "What interest have you in them at this moment?" Maleficent began to address her servant.

"I am content with our accommodations here Nixion," she said, gazing out the open window. "The cries of those being tortured, the red hue of the flames beneath us, the thick dark clouds that blot out all light from the Sun, the simple feel of power and evil that this fortress has is magnificent. Therefore," she turned to face her general again, "I have no intention of moving our base of operations. We shall not relocate."

"Then why were you interested in the star maps?" Nixion asked as the door quietly opened and a man dressed solely in black and dark blue armour with a dark blue helmet filed in without speaking a word. Maleficent hardly acknowledged the man's entrance while Nixion gawked slightly at him, an aura of pure darkness akin to the one Maleficent had infused within him was detectable to the Master of Storms.

"It is because of what has just conspired," Maleficent said, bringing Nixion's attention back to her. "I sent myself in spirit form to Disney Castle where I delivered an ultimatum to His Majesty, asking for his peaceful surrender and offering quite generous terms on my part. He has rejected them utterly, and so now I am going to show him how foolish he was to scorn my offer!" She sneered and turned around to face the star charts again, her crow eerily eyeing the register on the table.

"I was deciding as to which dozen worlds I should have you send heartless. But first, tomorrow I want you to force an attack on the Radiant Garden. I don't want you to destroy it, just show them that we are a force that they should be frightened of." Nixion nodded and vanished through a portal he had conjured behind him, ready to prepare the assault. Maleficent's crow cawed and she turned to the register, still ignoring the armoured man who had come in.

"What's this?" she asked aloud. "Only eighteen heartless remain upon Earth (Alpha)? I guess the pesky king sent the brats out to one of the worlds we had initially planned to take care of." She looked closer at the register, her eyes narrowing. "But it says here that a very powerful entity has managed to gain control of those remaining heartless. Humph! Keep them. So few a number would hardly be worth squabbling over. But what is this?" she turned her head to look at the listing for another world. "I have lost control of all one hundred heartless that were sent to the Digital World? I shall have to look into this." She rose from her seat where she had surveyed the register and motioned her head towards the armoured man. "Come," she ordered as a portal appeared when she raised her staff. Her crow flew away and the man came to stand by her side.

"Where are you going Maleficent?" a loud voice issued from the air.

"I am making a business trip, Lord Sauron," Maleficent said, bowing majestically. "I shall be back in two days."

"But tonight we were going to make shrink-e-dinks," the voice of Sauron said. "_Evil shrink-e-dinks_!"

"I apologize my Lord I had forgotten," Maleficent responded, rising from her bow. "We will have to do it later, for this matter cannot be postponed." There was a rumbling and Maleficent could tell that Sauron was thinking it over.

"Alright," his voice declared. "But don't get too close to anyone I don't like."

"I assure you that will not happen Lord Sauron," Maleficent said, bowing out and into the portal, the armoured man with her.

* * *

Yuffie was straining against Max and Sam's arms, fighting against them to get to where she saw the explosions. 

"Riku!" she was screaming. "Max let go of me! RIKU!" But Max and Sam did not let go of her.

"What are you, crazy?" he asked angrily as the jets flew overhead. "Riku wouldn't want you to rush in there only to get yourself killed!"

"Why the hell were they shooting at us?" Lennox yelled at Epps, both flat on the ground and covered in small debris.

"F-22s never fly in between buildings!" Epps retorted. "That's air force protocol. That thing's not friendly! That's alien!" Sam forced his head up to stop looking at Yuffie, who was still straining against his and Max's combined strength, and he froze. His fingers slipped off of Yuffie, but he didn't notice her renewed pleas to be released or Max's redoubled efforts to keep her restrained.

"Bumblebee!" he yelled hoarsely, rushing into the street himself to the other side of the road. The Autobot had taken a direct hit from one of Starscream's missiles, and his legs were completely ripped off as he lay amidst rubble from a hole in the building he had been blown into. Yuffie saw her chance to escape from Max as Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet got themselves out of debris from the semi trucks and buildings. With a great wrench on her arm she shook Max off and ran to ground zero, where Riku had been. The smoke and dust was just beginning to clear and Yuffie waved it away as she frantically searched for Riku, calling his name. She knelt down and tears welled up in her eyes as she found no remains whatsoever of the boy she cared about.

"Damn it!" she yelled, pounding her already bleeding fist into the road. A golden light sifted through her teary eyes and she stopped sobbing to look at the light. There were two trails of golden light leading from ground zero up into the sky. Yuffie's eyes unconsciously followed the trails of light and her heart gave a jolt as she looked into the sky.

There was Riku, up in the sky, sunskating around after the heartless jets, dog fighting with them using his Rays and Way to the Dawn wreathed in flame. Yuffie watched him cleave through one with his keyblade and fire two Rays off at two different heartless. The Rays followed them like guided missiles and exploded on contact with the heartless jets, destroying them in an instant. Starscream dove in at Riku, two jets on his wing, and they fired missiles off. Riku's Guardian reared out in front of Riku and grabbed the real missile while a shield of golden light surrounded the lesser master of the keyblade. The heartless missiles broke onto the shield and exploded harmlessly while Starscream's missile exploded while still in the Guardian's arms. Riku was protected the whole time by the Guardian's bulk from the explosion and he sent two more Rays off at the heartless jets while they screamed past. A nearby explosion brought Yuffie back to her senses and she turned to look at the opposite end of the street.

A tank was transforming into a Decepticon at the end of the street, missiles being shot off towards her. Max ran up and pushed Yuffie aside as it flew just overhead. She heard gunfire and saw the army units under Capt. Lennox's command returning fire. Ironhide and Jazz were firing at Devastator as well with their own cannons and missiles. Yuffie and Max nodded at one another and they drew their weapons to leap into the fray.

After two minutes, Yuffie could tell it was a hopeless effort on their part to try fighting. Their weapons just couldn't do anything against Devastator. Her shuriken and dagger always bounced back while Max's sword couldn't dent or even cut anything on the Decepticon. Lennox had his hands on a grenade launcher and fired off rounds at the massive transformer and it seemed to be doing a little, but they were holed up behind the crumbling remains of a building's wall.

"Where did Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide go?" Yuffie asked angrily as she threw her shuriken at Devastator again, hoping to damage some internal mechanical parts. Her hopes were dashed as her weapon came back and she leapt behind the wall again.

"They're busy protecting Sam," Lennox yelled. "He's getting the Allspark into the military's hands and needs to be protected from Megatron."

"You want a piece of me?" Yuffie looked up and saw Megatron, defrosted and standing on top of a building, holding Jazz's tiny form in one hand. Jazz fired a few rounds from his plasma cannon into Megatron's face, but that only served to annoy him.

"No," Megatron roared, "I want you in two!" He grabbed Jazz's body with both of his hands and ripped the small Autobot apart. Yuffie gasped and a hand flew to her mouth in horror as she saw the tiny electrical sparks flying from where he had been ripped apart. She heard the sound of metal wrenching and tossed her head onto the other side of her protection to look at Devastator. Riku was skating down upon him, having destroyed all the remaining heartless Three Rays shot out of his hands and flew at Devastator, who was already thrashing from being hit by one. They exploded on contact with the Decepticon, and Devastator bean roaring in pain and anger. He turned his cannon on Riku and fired two shots. Riku skated out of the way of one and his Guardian blocked the other shot. Yuffie heard screeching tires and saw Bumblebee hooked up to the back of a tow truck heading towards them, his plasma cannon firing into the exposed insides of Devastator. The Decepticon reeled and roared once more, but Bumblebee silenced him with one more shot. Lennox and his platoon got out of hiding along with Yuffie and Max and they rushed out to greet Mikaela, who had been driving the tow truck, and Riku, who had just allowed himself to touch down. Yuffie ran up to Riku and did something no one expected.

The sound of a slap echoed across the broken cityscape.

"What was that for?" Riku asked, both in hurt, confusion, and anger.

"You are the biggest idiot I have ever met!" Yuffie roared. "I thought you had died!"

"But I didn't die!" Riku retaliated. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You should never have done that!" Yuffie stormed. "Did you ever once think about what you were doing?" Riku stared at her.

"Fine," he said in a low growl. "Next time, I won't save your life." He turned his back on her and ran after the others, who had all headed off as soon as Yuffie slapped him to get to the next battle area.

_Why did she hit me?_, Riku thought bitterly to himself. _What have I done to deserve that? Was it something I said? No I haven't said anything to make her upset_. They reached a corner and saw Optimus Prime engaging Megatron in single combat while Sam was running in the middle, the Allspark clutched tightly to his chest. A Blackhawk helicopter landed near them and transformed into Blackout and prepared to engage Optimus, who was losing the battle with Megatron.

"What's the matter Prime?" Megatron growled. "Why are you defending these humans? They are an inferior race! They should all be destroyed; they don't have a right to exist."

"They have a right to choose for themselves!" Optimus retorted, shoving Megatron onto the concrete.

"Mark," Lennox said, himself and Epps pointing green laser pointers at Blackout. Suddenly Lennox ran out with his grenade launcher and slid down on the ground beneath Blackout. He fired two grenades into the Decepticon's vulnerable interior and flattened himself onto the ground when he was clear. Missiles rained down from the sky and crashed into Blackout and Megatron. Blackout died and broke down on the ground while Megatron writhed in pain. A small opening appeared in Optimus Prime's chest.

"Sam," he said. "Put the cube in my chest." Sam took one look at Optimus before turning his back on him and ran up to Megatron. Sam forced the Allspark out at Megatron and it began disassembling itself into a spark within Megatron. Megatron howled in pain as he absorbed the Allspark, and died. Optimus stood up and looked down at Megatron in pity.

"I am sorry, brother." Optimus turned and looked as Ratchet and Ironhide arrived, Jazz's body in Ratchet's hands.

"I couldn't save him," Ratchet said, handing the body to Optimus.

"Oh Jazz," he moaned in grief before turning to the humans and Max. "We have lost a good comrade," Optimus said, "but have gained new ones. I thank you for all you have done, and Riku, we shall help you to protect all the worlds. Freedom… is the right of all sentient beings."

"Permission to speak sir?" Bumblebee asked, his voice actually speaking.

"You can talk now?" Sam asked.

"Permission granted, old friend," Optimus said with a smile as he turned to the younger Autobot.

"I wish to stay with the boy," Bumblebee said, inclining his head at Sam.

"If that is his decision," Optimus said, turning to look at Sam.

"Yes," Sam said, gazing affectionately at Bumblebee. Max grabbed Riku and Yuffie.

"Time for us to go," he said with a smile. "See you around."

"Make sure you remember to bring FFVII back!" Sam yelled as they disappeared.

They beamed up into the _Highwind_ and Yuffie suddenly stormed off, not sparing a glance at Riku or Max.

"What did I do?" Riku asked angrily while he looked at Max. "She's the one who almost got killed! Why is she being so angry with me?"

"Maybe you guys need some time to calm down," Max suggested, flipping out the games he had borrowed from Sam. "Come on, I want to see these."

* * *

The _Hunter_ zoomed into the Radiant Garden's atmosphere in the late afternoon, white trails following on the tips of its wings. A voice crackled in on the radio as the town and castle became visible far below and Roxas looked at it strangely, this had never happened before. 

"_Hunter_, this is the Radiant Garden defense force's AWACS _Thunderhead_. We see you are broadcasting a friendly signature from Disney Castle. Please state your intentions and cargo." Roxas turned his head and looked at Naminé, also in the bridge with him.

"Well princess," he asked, "should I tell 'em?" Naminé nodded.

"Go ahead," she said. "They'll all find out sooner or later anyway." Roxas nodded and flipped on the radio, dropping the wheel for a second to flip the switch.

"_Thunderhead_ this is Sir Roxas Dual Blade, captain of the _Hunter_. I am on a mission to deliver Princess Naminé, of the Radiant Garden, to parliament to deliver a speech to them to convince parliament to have the Radiant Garden join the war effort against Maleficent." He looked back at Naminé and she shook her head.

"I don't think you needed to tell them that much," she said. Roxas shrugged as the radio crackled again.

"Seriously?" _Thunderhead_ asked. "That's great news. The heartless and nobodies have attacked a couple times since Sora and Princess Kairi last left. Maybe this will declaration will keep them at bay. But who exactly are you?"

"Call us Sora and Kairi's long-lost twins," Roxas answered. "Which makes Naminé a princess of your world." Static crackled on the radio for a second and _Thunderhead_ responded.

"You're cleared for landing on platform two Sir Roxas," he said, his voice unable to conceal his elation. "It's right by the marketplace, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find. Be careful though, something's happened that might make crowds mob to you."

"What would that be?" Roxas asked as he carefully piloted the _Hunter_ towards the platform.

"Nothing that would make them hate you if that's what you're thinking," _Thunderhead_ responded. "By the way, when are you planning to make the speech princess?" Naminé jerked her head up as she was addressed directly.

"Well, we still need to make an appointment actually," she said. _Thunderhead_ chuckled over the radio.

"Well, best of luck to you both Milady, how long will you be staying?"

"Until Sir Roxas' broken arm has mended probably," Naminé responded. "Although we may go back to Twilight Town before then. But after he's healed, we're heading back out into the front lines against that wretched sorceress."

"You're injured sir? I wish you peace and comfort then during your time on leave," _Thunderhead _replied as the _Hunter_ touched down. "Hopefully the heartless won't attack again. _Thunderhead _out." Roxas smiled as he powered down the ship and yawned tiredly, getting out of his pilot's seat. Naminé simply shook her head, no sign of weariness upon her as she got off of the couch she had conjured to be within the bridge. They descended the stairwell from the bridge into the hallway, Naminé's hand sliding into Roxas'. They glanced at each other and smiled, knowing that some things didn't change, even with their new titles. Roxas opened up the access ramp and they descended down onto the circular metal platform.

"We need to talk to Leon first," Naminé said. "We can set up a meeting with parliament with him. Then we can relax until we leave." Roxas nodded and they went down a flight of stairs from the platform towards the marketplace. They had hardly gone ten feet into the square when someone squealed in delight.

"Look! It's Roxas and Naminé!" The two lovers looked at each other, and then at the large mob before running away through the alleys. Scenes and doors flashed by as they ran from the crowd.

"How do they know about us?" Roxas asked in a breath.

"Don't talk. Just run," Naminé said as they fled.

"Now I really shouldn't have laughed at Sora when he and Kairi were running," Roxas heaved.

"Same here," Naminé agreed.

"In here." Roxas looked and saw they were in the Borough right in front of Merlin's house. He pulled Naminé inside with him as Cid closed the door behind them.

"That is no way to treat their princess," Naminé said, panting heavily.

"Or a knight," Roxas added from the ground, his chest heaving heavily. Merlin chucked at them.

"Well what would you expect?" he asked. "You two are now in a very popular video game and manga series that just came out a week ago. Word of it spread really fast." Something plopped down on Roxas' rising and falling chest and he craned his neck to look at it.

"Kingdom Hearts II," he said aloud, not moving from his position. His head plopped back down on the ground. "So we're in a video game now too. That makes me feel so much better."

"You should," Leon said as his face came in view over Roxas' head. "As soon as the royalties start coming in, you five keyblade wielders are going to hit big. All thanks to that former English teacher that came here."

"Botterill?" Naminé asked, lifting her head up. Leon nodded and Naminé suddenly got to her feet, noticing that it was Leon. "Honorable Prime Minister Squall Leonhart," she said, bowing slightly, "I request and audience with Parliament as soon as possible." Leon held up his hands and Naminé rose from her bow, seeing this.

"There's no need for the Honorable Prime Minister stuff here Princess Naminé," Leon said, a slight smile curving onto his lips. "And I should be the one bowing to you at any rate. Now as for parliament-"

"I think," Roxas said from his position on the ground, "that we should just barge into Parliament tomorrow and make a scene. It takes something drastic to get heads turning." Leon nodded.

"My thoughts exactly," he agreed.

"It's decided then," Naminé said. "We'll speak to the parliament tomorrow by busting straight in." She moved over to Roxas, who was still on the ground and poked him with the toe of her boot. "Are you okay Roxas?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Roxas said, closing his eyes, "just lazy." Naminé and Aerith giggled while Naminé grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up.

"Well you better stop being lazy for the moment," she said. "You need to escort me back to our ship, sir."

"With those guys outside?" Cid asked, glancing out the window. "I don't think that's a good idea." Roxas looked outside and glanced at his broken arm.

"I can still handle them," he said. "Open the door." Cid opened it and four Samurai nobodies appeared in front of the door. The crowd instantly became quiet and started to back away. Roxas left the house first and Naminé came out after him, her hand sliding back in place within his right hand.

"Thank you sir Roxas," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. He gave a bashful smile and looked at her.

"Anything to get you back safely princess," he said before looking at his Samurai guards. "Okay let's move out, back to the _Hunter_ for some rest." The Samurai nodded and closed in on the two in a box formation. The crowd still followed them all the way to the ship, but at least they weren't a screaming mob anymore.

* * *

_Who is the mysterious man? What's happening to Sora and Kairi? Will the Radiant Garden go to war against Maleficent? And why am I asking you guys these questions instead of the other way around?_

_Leave a review! FYI, you get sneak peeks of chapters on the forum._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	30. Thinking of You

_Here we go._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Namco, or Square Enix.

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXX: Thinking of You

The day began just as any other day for Ralph Manish, a Member of Parliament, and leader of the opposition, of the Radiant Garden. He woke up at seven in the morning as usual, and ate a plate of blueberry waffles for his breakfast while downing a cup of coffee. At seven fifty he kissed his wife on the cheek as he left for work, his blonde beard tickling her face as she said goodbye to his brown eyes. He would stride through the streets in a crisp grey suit with polished black shoes and his briefcase under his arm. At ten after eight he would buy two bakery-fresh bagels that would become his lunch and a newspaper and another coffee. At eight thirty he would arrive at the parliament building, greeting the thirty other MPs, and head to his office where he would prepare his documents and put everything in order for the morning session which would begin at ten thirty.

"What's the plan today boss?" one of his MPs asked at ten to nine.

"Today we put forth that bill we decided upon in our last caucus meeting Phil," Ralph answered. "I don't see why the government can't see the danger of not acting." Phil nodded and made his way out of his leader's office.

At ten twenty he would leave his office and move himself into the chamber where he would sit at his green cushioned seat with his briefcase filled with any documents he may need for the day's proceedings. The general public began filing in as well in the viewing area upstairs in the wings. Ralph Manish was able to see three figures of importance getting into seats.

_Hm, _he thought,_ Aerith Gainsborough, Cid Highwind, and Merlin are all here. Something's up._ The recorders were set up so the whole affair could be televised as usual for anyone in the public to watch the proceedings at home. It started as usual with the Honorable Prime Minister Leon and his cabinet ministers giving speeches concerning findings they had made on committee issues and then proceeded onto bills currently facing the House. Ralph Manish sighed as the time wore on.

_What is with them?_ He asked himself silently. _There is only danger with not acting against Maleficent. She has attacked here many times, and we've always been able to hang on, barely. If it weren't for the keyblade wielders we would be-_ his inner monologue was cut short as the doors to the chamber suddenly burst open with large flashes of light, and fire curling around the edges of the doors.

Ralph Manish was able to see two figures in the doorway. One was of a blonde teenage girl wearing a steely-blue shirt and pair of shorts with a shield strapped onto her back and what looked like a silver ring around her forehead with a blue stone in the center. The other was a blonde teenage boy, whose hair was spiked upwards. He was in a white vest with a checkered pattern on the edges and gray-tan pants. His left arm was in a purple and gold sling and a very regal looking cape was draped behind him, clasped around his neck with a golden brooch of three circles. They began striding into the chamber, much to the shock of those in the House.

"I'm sorry you two," the Speaker of the House began. "But the public viewing area is upstairs. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." Ralph Manish changed his view from the two teenagers, who were still moving forward, to Prime Minister Leon. His face increased in its surprise as he saw the Prime Minister chuckling.

"You could have made it a little less flashy Naminé," the Prime Minister said.

"I wanted to make an impression," the girl replied. The Speaker looked at the Prime Minister.

"What is the meaning of this Prime Minister?" he asked. Leon looked over at her.

"Mr. Speaker, she has a right to be here," he replied. "After all, she is one of our two princesses." Ralph Manish stood up.

"Mr. Speaker, I do not believe we understand what the Prime Minister is talking about," he spoke in his whimsical and fluttery voice. "We all know that we only have one princess Mr. Speaker, and that is Princess Kairi, who is currently away."

"You have two," Naminé said, interrupting him. "I am Kairi's twin sister."

"What is this?" Phil asked, standing up. "Mr. Speaker, do we have any records of Princess Kairi having a twin, or is the government hiding something?" MPs and began talking to each other in low voices while the general public above them chattered away.

"The government is not hiding anything Mr. Speaker," Leon said. "It was not until recently that our Princess Kairi gained a twin sister, although I think I'll let Princess Naminé explain that." He sat down and all eyes turned to Naminé and she opened her mouth, but no words came out. Ralph Manish looked at her eyes and he could tell that she was afraid of speaking out in front of this many people of importance. She turned away, but was stopped by the boy she had entered with. He began speaking to her in a very soft and quiet voice that none of them could hear and Manish was able to tell that he was trying to comfort her and strengthen her. She flung her head back to look at them but the boy had her look at him instead. Manish stood up, deciding that she needed more than one voice of support.

* * *

Naminé opened her mouth to speak to the House, but she couldn't force the words out through her fear. She was their princess, yes, but what about what she had been? And, they were all staring at her. She had never had this many eyes on her at once, or actually, had been conscious of this many eyes upon her. Naminé turned away. She needed to get out of there, to run away from them and calm down. She started to move when an arm was flung in front of her.

"Naminé," Roxas called to her softly, the one friendly voice within her reach calming her down. She turned her head towards him.

"I can't do this Roxas," she whispered frantically. "There are too many people. What if they don't accept me because of what I was?"

"Then they won't be able to accept me either," Roxas said quietly. "I'm just like you, except your other is more important to them than mine."

"You make me feel so much better Roxas," Naminé said sarcastically.

"Naminé," Roxas began again, still only a whisper. "You'll be alright. They'll listen to you. No don't look at them, look at me. I'm right here; take strength from my suppor-"

"Mr. Speaker I believe in the Prime Minister's words," a voice said aloud, drawing Roxas and Naminé's attention. Naminé had done her homework the previous night, so she knew that the one standing was none other than Ralph Manish, leader of the opposition. "If she says she's the princess's twin sister, then let us be blessed with having two princesses at the moment and question it later. Besides Mr. Speaker," he looked away from the Speaker and at Naminé, "I have seen the princess's eyes, and she has the very same ones, almost as if they were the same person." Naminé smiled graciously at him and he smiled as well, glad that he could be of some help to her.

"You have no idea just how close you are Manish," Roxas whispered under his breath.

"But the princess has to have come here for her own reasons Mr. Speaker," Manish continued, "let us hear what she has to say with open hearts." He sat down to general applause and Naminé took strength in the hand Roxas had placed on her shoulder, and the warm faces of most of the House. She took a step forward; letting Roxas' hand fall off of her shoulder, and dived into the speech she had written and memorized the previous night.

"Honorable representatives of the people of the Radiant Garden," she began, "I come to you on behalf of your monarchy, and the worlds. Maleficent, our old enemy whom if you recall took control of the Radiant Garden and renamed it Hollow Bastion while she attempted to gain power from the keyhole to the realm of darkness, has finally attained the power over the darkness that she always desired. Despite all we wielders of the keyblade could do, four days ago Maleficent got her greatest wish. Now we fight to rid the worlds of her forever."

"Yet, we are finding that increasingly difficult. We number only six wielders, three of us, being Sora, Roxas, and Riku, masters. And even with the support of our friends from across a dozen or so worlds that Sora, Donald, and Goofy have travelled to, we cannot fight back against the overwhelming horde of heartless and nobodies Maleficent has at her command. To make matters worse, Sora and Princess Kairi are MIA, and Roxas is injured." The MPs began muttering to each other in distress at this news and Naminé continued, floundering slightly as she tried to catch their attention again. "And Maleficent is not alone. She has allies in her fight, whose forces combined with her own make the challenge of defeating her daunting. I am asking," she swept her gaze across the room, to look briefly into the eyes of every single MP, "for your help."

"We cannot fight her alone," Naminé said. "If we try, we'll fall, and then many of the worlds will be open to her tyranny." She looked again at the faces of the representatives, and saw that those on Leon's side were looking at her as if she was telling them a joke, while the ones forming the opposition were gazing at the government's MPs with flames in their eyes. Ralph Manish was looking kindly at her and in wonder, as if she was giving him the support he needed for something he would have done. "If you need proof of this," Naminé continued, "look at Sir Roxas here." Roxas stepped forward to stand beside his princess.

"This is Sir Roxas Dual Blade," Naminé said with a smile, "Sora's twin brother and recently knighted by King Mickey of Disney Castle. Roxas broke his arm when he fought a Charr heartless alone. And it took three wielders and Goofy's son Max to defeat the first one we encountered in the Pride Lands. Sora can defeat a thousand regular heartless alone, but right now, I don't know if we can beat five of these Charr heartless when they are together. And we aren't going up against just a thousand regular heartless at a time, Maleficent has an army of many hundreds of thousands of heartless. In any case, we need help; a lot of help. Please help us." Naminé and Roxas both took a step backwards and Ralph Manish stood up.

"Mr. Speaker the Princess' words are true," he said. "The increased attacks on the town from the heartless can only justify this statement. And if they're heating up here Mr. Speaker, then we can only assume that the situation is getting hectic on other worlds. The news of Princess Kairi and Sora's disappearance is grievous indeed. We need to act in order to remedy the situation and shift the balance of power into our favor. I say we give the princess our aid. I say we wage war on Maleficent and her heartless!" With that he stood down to rambunctious applause from his own party members and the general public above them in the wings, and a couple members of the current government including Leon smiled and clapped their hands together a few times for him. The applause petered out as a hook nosed MP of the government stood. He sneered over at Naminé and Roxas before he started speaking, and both of them gained an immediate dislike for him.

"The keyblade wielders have always defended our world from evil ever since the keyblade made its appearance in master Sora's hands two years ago," he said with a slow, drawling voice. "And we have been further protected since Cid Highwind developed the claymores for the defence of this city and some of the pilots that had previously been on the world returning to it from the darkness. Mr. Speaker, why should we risk our own lives to fight a losing battle against the enemy when we can simply live at peace without fear of falling? Our defence forces are sufficient to ensure we survive any attack the enemy could throw against us. Mr. Speaker I say we should remain here at peace, without the lives of our people being wasted in a vain attempt at fighting a battle that has no need to be fought." He stood down and several members of the government clapped. Roxas scowled.

"What kind of argument is that?" he roared at the man.

"Young man, keep your temper down," the Speaker said directly to Roxas in warning.

"Remain here at peace?" Roxas asked in anger, his arms shaking as he tried to keep them under control. "Fighting a battle that has no need to be fought? Are you trying to give Maleficent a free hand in the galaxy and become slaves to her will, or worse, lose your hearts and become heartless and form nobodies? Do you know how cruel an existence a nobody has?"

"And how would you know Sir Dual Blade?" the hook nosed representative replied, standing up and staring Roxas down.

"Carl Fantast you are breaking protocol," the Speaker said.

"Naminé and I know exactly how cruel an existence a nobody has!" Roxas retorted. "Because we were ones!" Silence met his proclamation and they were stared at in wonder.

"You wondered how Kairi could have a twin sister when you have no records of one being born," Naminé said. "In truth, none was born, yet I remain her twin sister. When darkness first spread to the Destiny Islands, Kairi's heart fled from her body and latched onto the closest thing it could, unable to form a heartless because it lacked the darkness necessary to create one. Her heart went deep within Sora's heart, and her body and soul would have formed the nobody, me. But her body also still remained as an empty shell. Then, when Sora became a heartless to free her heart, Roxas and I were formally created through using Sora's body to attain our own one. And before Xemnas was defeated, we merged with our others, gaining a heart while sacrificing our bodies. Four days ago, we regained our bodies and became whole entities of our own. This is why I am Kairi's twin sister, because as Mr. Manish said earlier, I had been her, and am now myself. But you still don't know how vile it is to be a nobody."

"You really, don't want to know or experience that," Roxas said, looking down at the ground. "It's better off for you to not know how it is to have no emotions, like a robotic drone." They both shuddered, remembering how each was taken advantage of.

"All the more reason to fight Mr. Speaker," a woman on the opposition side began, "to prevent thousands from experiencing such pain. Sacrifices may be necessary to accomplish this goal, but it is a just goal when compared to sitting back and letting all that Sora has done go to waste." She sat back down to applause and an explosion sounded in the distance.

"Not again!" Cid's voice from the wings above sounded. Roxas and Naminé looked at each other and nodded.

"If you still believe that keyblade wielders can handle anything," Roxas said as they turned their backs on the House, "come with us."

"Prime Minister," Naminé warned, "I forbid you from helping us, either personally or having Cid, Merlin, and Aerith help out. You all need to see this." They left the building at a run and navigated their way through the filled streets, following the trail of panic-stricken people fleeing wildly.

The Bailey wall had been destroyed yet again, its wrought-iron gates broken and tattered as heartless streamed in, at rates too fast for the claymores to destroy them all. The Sleeping Lion appeared in Roxas' right hand and Island's Fire came into existence in Naminé's right palm as she pulled her shield into her left arm. An armored knight came at them and Roxas easily sent his keyblade through it and Naminé deked to the right around the next one, practicing the team tactics she and Roxas had come up with for themselves as they trained with the Anti-Heartless Militia (as the band on Twilight Town had begun to call themselves). She bashed down an armored knight heartless with her shield and Roxas stabbed it as it went to the ground. Naminé raised Island's Fire and pointed it at the mass of heartless as the claymores mopped some more up.

"Blizzaja," she said, frost forming around the golden blade and chilling its red tip. A large icicle came from the tip of her blade and more shot in against the mass of heartless from all directions above the shattered wall. The heartless vanished in a large plume of smoke, pink hearts floating up through their remains. Roxas and Naminé charged forward through the broken gates where they had created a breach in the enemy formation and stood in front of their enemies, who stood in wait in front of them as a massive wall.

"You ready?" Roxas asked. Naminé looked at him, a smile painted on her face as she saw all the MPs watching from the wall and a couple of people deploying a small floating machine. The machine floated down and came to a rest above and behind them. Roxas glanced at it for a second before looking back at Naminé as she looked at him again.

"Try to keep up," she said with a grin. They ran straight at the heartless, which countercharged them. Naminé raised her shield and an attack glanced off of the shield while she deftly jabbed her keyblade into the same heartless. She ducked a sword strike and rose, her blade cutting through another. As she rose, Naminé twitched her keyblade so it parried another attack made at her. The moment her blade touched its she changed its movement and stabbed the armored knight through the head before bringing her blade out wide and swiping through two heartless beside her. She spun around, her shield blocking more attacks as cut her sword through more heartless as Roxas kept close to her, always following her movements on her left while eliminating heartless on his own. He spun the Sleeping Lion around in a circle in front of him and fire appeared around where its tip had traced. A fiery 'X' appeared in the circle and Roxas' eyes blazed.

"Firaga!" he roared. The 'X' shot out of the circle and blew a straight path through the demons. He and Naminé continued to advance, using their tactics and close proximity to keep each other safe while the machine followed them. Eventually they found themselves fighting in the ravine, where they held the heartless back but were prevented from moving further forward.

Naminé bashed a heartless down with her shield, Roxas stabbing through it as he had done seemingly countless times before, and parried an attack before slicing her keyblade through a blue guard dog. She looked up as sweat beaded her brow and saw a falling blue blade. Naminé sidestepped the Invisible's sword and countered by stunning it with her shield, hoping that Roxas would work on the uptake. He did, and stabbed his silver blade through its body. It recoiled from his strike and stuck out at him with its sword. Roxas backed away, and Naminé jumped in front of him, blocking the attack with her shield. Its four pointed symbol in the front started glowing and crackling with a vivid electric blue light.

"Thundaja!" she cried. The pent up electricity shot out of the shield, destroying the Invisible in its wake as well as a swath of heartless behind it. Naminé panted slightly.

"Princess Naminé! Sir Roxas!" They both turned around for a moment and saw a score of soldiers in armor brandishing spears and shields hurrying towards them.

"I thought I told Leon not to send anyone to help us," Naminé said angrily as she swiped her blade through another armored knight.

"The Prime Minister did not send us milady," the soldiers' captain said. "We came at the behest of the honorable Ralph Manish. He believed that something might have happened to the two of you, as heartless started reaching the town again nearly fifteen minutes after you both left. Indeed, we have had to fight some heartless on our way here." Roxas and Naminé looked at each other in surprise, they didn't even notice that heartless were getting past them. "We came to find you and escort you back to safety milady," the captain said. Naminé smirked.

"Well," she said slowly. "I have no intention of going back just now. If you want to protect me, you'll just have to come along for the ride." The men looked at their captain in surprise at her words and then were even more stunned when the man began chuckling.

"Captain Beagle?" one of his men asked.

"It will be an honor to fight alongside you milady," the captain said. He waved his hand and his men followed him forward where they formed a phalanx in front of their princess. Beagle looked back through the ranks of his men at Naminé and Roxas.

"No man dies today," he ordered hoarsely from the center, the thrill of a battle growing in him. "Today, we give them hell!" He turned back and his phalanx line advanced forward as the heartless crashed upon their spear tips. Naminé and Roxas provided their aid in the form of continuous magical barrages as the line quickly moved forward through the ravine and into the Great Maw, where the mass of heartless always originated from. The phalanx broke in the open, and Beagle and his men formed a ring that stayed with their princess and her knight, but even with their profound ability and armor there were too many enemies, and soon only Roxas, Naminé, and Cpt. Beagle were the only ones not sporting wounds. Roxas looked up when he heard a roar of engines and saw silver bodied nobodies with two straight wings and missiles mounted underneath. Two formations were barreling down on them, but they suddenly broke as the lead planes in each exploded in a fiery blitz when missiles connected with them. Roxas' head turned again and saw four F-22 Raptors flying above them in the sky on a path for the Fighter nobodies.

"Oh, almost forgot," Beagle said as his spear rammed through a Morning Star's thick exterior. He reached around and grabbed two earpieces, which he tossed to Roxas and Naminé. They clipped them on while dodging the heartless' attacks and Roxas raised a reflega shield to protect the group for a brief moment.

"This is Princess Naminé," Naminé said after she got hers working. "Who wanted us to have these?"

"Princess, it's good to hear your voice again," _Thunderhead_ said through the radio. "Wardog squadron should be above you right now, they'll make sure the air above you is safe."

"Blaze, Fox-Two," a voice said on the radio as the lead plane fired a missile off at one of the Fighter nobodies. The missile connected with the nobody and took it out in an explosion. "Boo-yah! Splash one!"

"Edge, Fox-Two," a woman's voice said next as the number two shot off a missile, knocking another nobody out of the sky. "Missile hit, target destroyed." The Fighter nobodies swerved off of their course and moved to engage the planes.

"Archer, engaging."

"Chopper, engaging. Well, it looks like we're going to get some action, watch yourself Kid."

"You better start calling him captain Chopper," Archer's voice said.

"No way Grimm! If he's our captain, then I want him to start cussing like a captain!" Roxas and Naminé stopped listening to the radio chatter and stopped paying attention to the aerial battle above them and charged the ranks of the heartless again, fighting them with a renewed fury that sent pink hearts floating into the sky a plenty. A dark wind started to blow around them and the heartless began retreating. Some of Captain Beagle's men started cheering, but he and the two keyblade warriors looked grimly at the sight. One of their planes swooped down and fired two missiles into the retreating mass, taking out a seemingly insignificant amount of them.

"They're retreating!" Grimm said. "You think we won?"

"Don't count on it," Roxas said in a low voice. The wind picked up and began swirling around the horde of heartless, drawing their darkness from the mass. Wardog flight circled around in the air, unwilling to penetrate the darkness.

"Wardog, this is AWACS _Thunderhead_. We have something new picking up on our radar, do you have a visual?"

"Do we have a visual?" Chopper asked sarcastically. "As if that isn't the lamest question ever. Of course we have a visual!"

"Second lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport stop shooting your mouth off."

"Well if you stopped asking stupid questions."

"This is Princess, can you both be quiet?" Naminé asked.

"Glad someone else tires of their bickering," Edge said with a slight giggle in her voice.

"I agree Princess and Nagase," Blaze added. The winds of darkness dropped to reveal a massive heartless. It was in the shape of a dragon, all black with eerie yellow eyes on its pointed head and great raven wings protruding from its back, the heartless symbol blazing across its scaled black chest.

"Help us," Beagle spoke in a low whisper. "It's the Razgriz." Roxas and Naminé looked at him.

"Razgriz?" Roxas asked. The radio crackled.

"The Demon of Razgriz?" Chopper asked, fear tainting his voice. "That's what that is? But the Razgriz is supposed to come from the northern straits."

"No matter what it is we have to beat it!" Nagase said. "All our people are counting on us, and they can probably see it from the town, it's so huge." Wardog flight formed up and moved in on its head.

"Fox-two, Fox-two!" the call went out from all of them as each F-22 fired off two missiles at the heartless. The eight weapons exploded into its head, but the heartless stood there, unphased. The Razgriz heartless took flight and began pursuing the planes.

"Disperse!" Blaze commanded and they broke formation. "It's going to take more than that to bring it down. Don't get yourselves killed."

"It'll definitely take more than you Wardog," Roxas said, gripping the Sleeping Lion tightly in his hand. He looked at Naminé and she nodded. The both of them ran forward, away from Beagle and his men. "Firaga!" Roxas yelled, pointing his keyblade at the flying Razgriz while another missile sent by Nagase hit it in the back. A fireball shot out towards the Razgriz, smacking straight into its neck. It jerked its head away from where it had been about to take out Grimm and glared down at Roxas and Naminé. The crystal on Naminé's forehead began to glow and the both of them stopped.

"What's this?" Naminé asked. Two blue lights shot out of the crystal and circled around Naminé, striking her in the back. She howled in pain and dropped to the ground, her eyes shut tightly, and Roxas and Captain Beagle rushed to her side.

"Princess Naminé," _Thunderhead_ asked. "What is it?" Roxas dismissed his keyblade and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Naminé?" he asked worriedly. "What's wrong?" She gripped his arm and he started turning into a golden light. "Wha-?" Roxas as a golden light zoomed within Naminé and her she screamed in pain once more, causing Beagle to back away. Two white angelic wings started coming out of her back where the blue light had stuck her. The wings wrapped themselves around her, their feathers gleaming in a bright white light. They unfolded themselves from Naminé and she stood, her face no longer showing any pain. Her clothes had shifted from their unique shade of turquoise into a beautiful white and the four-pointed symbol on her shield had turned golden while the white buckler had also become white. She was no longer holding Island's Fire in her right hand, in its place was a different keyblade. It had a black shaft, white ribbons that had formed a circular hilt around the handle encircling around the shaft in a double helix and combining near the end of the keyblade into a white spear point resembling one of the points on Roxas' pendant and on the shield. The point was slightly above the end of the keyblade and lengthened it like a bayonet.

Naminé looked down at the new keyblade and shield before checking out her clothes. She swiveled her head around to her back, looking in surprise that she had felt the two wings there.

"I have wings?" she asked herself, giving them an experimental flap. She felt a great lifting force pushing her skyward from the one flap, but her feet just skimmed off the ground. "These are powerful," she remarked to herself in awe.

_Naminé, how painful was growing the wings?_ Naminé gasped.

_Roxas?_ She asked herself.

_Yeah, I'm in here,_ came his reply. _It's just as I thought. You're in a Drive Form, just like Sora was doing on his last adventure._

_What were they like?_ Naminé asked. She heard Roxas telepathically chuckle.

_Nothing like this, that's for sure,_ he replied casually. _What do you say we test out those wings and take flight against that Razgriz?_ Naminé nodded and turned to Beagle and his men, who were all looking at her in awe.

"Princess?" Beagle asked, unsure of just what to say.

"Get somewhere safe," Naminé ordered before turning to look at the Razgriz heartless as it continually tried to bring down Wardog flight. "_Thunderhead,_ Wardog, this is Princess. I'm taking flight."

"What are you talking about?"_ Thunderhead _asked as Naminé flapped her wings, hard. She took off into the sky and banked to the right while she ascended to join in the fight.

"Um… hello," Chopper said as she swooped in to the left of his plane. "She's grown wings somehow."

"Wow, that's just incredible," Grimm said as he gained altitude to join them from behind Chopper.

"Edge, Princess, I'm coming in behind you," Nagase said, descending to fall in behind Naminé on the left of the flying girl. "This is amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

"I guess I drew the short straw then," Blaze remarked with a dry laugh, forming in the rear center behind Naminé to cover them. They flew in formation over the Great Maw and came up behind the Razgriz as it flew around in great circles over the plains. Suddenly, finding no enemies in front of it, the Razgriz shifted its course and began flying away.

"It's heading for the town!" Naminé said, the wind and engine noise roaring through her ears as she beat her wings harder to gain speed and close the distance.

"Wardog, engage the enemy," _Thunderhead_ ordered. "Do not let it reach the town."

"Roger _Thunderhead_. Princess, engaging."

"Edge, engaging."

"Blaze, engaging."

"Chopper, engaging."

"Archer, engaging."

They flew towards the Razgriz at even higher speeds and closed the distance enough for Wardog flight to fire off their missiles. They stayed formed up on Naminé even after firing and began letting their mounted machine guns roar. Naminé accelerated and outstripped her wingmen as they scattered to commence attack runs on the heartless. She weaved her way through the missile explosions and machine gun fire to get close enough to attack the heartless directly with her keyblade. She flew in on its back and struck her keyblade into the darkness that formed it. She flew forward further, keeping her keyblade within the heartless as it roared in its agony. A ray of light pulsated out of the bayonet on her keyblade into the Razgriz and its roar intensified until it was almost deafening. Naminé pulled her blade out and swerved upwards as the Razgriz rolled onto its back and tried to swipe at her with its claws. A missile Edge had fired struck the claw as Naminé barely dodged the attack and the claw vanished.

"Blaze, this is Edge," Nagase said. "It looks like Princess has done something to its armor to weaken it. Our weapons can damage it now."

"Tally-ho!" Blaze replied joyously. "Let's bring this sucker down before it can do what the Razgriz is supposed to!"

"Chopper, Fox-two!" A missile streaked in from behind and below Naminé and struck against the Razgriz' tail as it resumed normal flying towards the town. One of the planes flew past its head and the Razgriz turned slightly to head after it instead.

"Blaze watch yourself," Nagase warned. "The Razgriz is on your six." The heartless opened its mouth and a blue jet of fire barreled forth towards Blaze's plane.

It's getting too hot here," Blaze said. He turned his plane over onto his back and pulled up, diving down to avoid the fire while pointing his nose right for the heartless. "Fox-two." His missile streaked towards the heartless and nailed the top of its head, destroying one of its antennae-like ears. Razgriz turned aside and began flying back towards the town at even higher speeds than before.

"Archer, Fox-two!" Another missile came in at the heartless' side and exploded, causing a small gouge to form and leak tendrils of darkness like those which were spewing out of the wounds on its arm and tail. Naminé dived in as more friendly fire pummeled it.

"Firaja!" she roared, sending an engulfing typhoon of flames at the heartless.

"Nice one Princess," Chopper said. "Now we're cooking."

"Motor mouth Chopper," Naminé said with a smile. "Attack its wing."

"Cut me some slack ma'am," Chopper replied as he maneuvered to attack it with his guns.

"It's slowing down," Blaze said. "We've got it on the ropes." Naminé swerved down once more and saw that the town was dangerously close. People were up on the walls and looking at the spectacle that was within a minute of crashing into them.

"We're not going to make it in time," Grimm said frantically, shooting off two more missiles. "The bastard won't die."

_Go for the head._ Naminé deked around a spike on the Razgriz' back and beat her wings harder. She blazed past its neck and pulled up so that she was floating in front of its pointed head, square between its eyes.

"Never give up Grimm," she said as she touched down and stood on its head, her keyblade poised. She struck home into the head and it roared, shaking its head and neck wildly to get her off. Her keyblade was jerked out and she flew off with it, trying desperately with her wings to right herself. She tumbled through the air and crashed into a blue cliff face just as the heartless faded away in a great cloud of darkness, a massive heart rising away from it. She stayed in the crater her body had made for a second before pushing herself off, finding that her wings had mostly protected her and that they had not been harmed at all. But the part of her back that was connected to her wings sure hurt like hell. She limped through the air, flying slowly as she descended towards the broken gates and she could finally comprehend that what she was hearing on the radio were her wingmen asking her if she was alright.

"This is Princess," she said, a small smile coming onto her face. "I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you all Wardog."

"That's a relief," Nagase said. "We were worried that you had been hurt."

"Well my back is killing me," Naminé replied as she touched down. "But I'm alright otherwise. Your flying was astounding out there, all of you."

"Thanks for the compliment Naminé," Blaze said. "We want to meet you in person and out of combat soon."

"I think that can be arranged," Naminé said. "_Thunderhead,_ I hope you're listening. I want Wardog to become my personal squadron. Princess out." She smiled as the four pilots of Wardog began chanting her name in jubilation and _Thunderhead_'s flustered reply. Her wings folded in over herself and melted within her in a golden light. Roxas was suddenly flung out of her as she dropped out of her Angelic form and landed on the ground overtop of his cast.

"That was weird," he said, rubbing his head as footsteps started to sound. Captain Beagle and his men came up from behind in the ravine while representatives and MPs started filing out of the broken gates in front. Roxas heard Naminé sigh tiredly and he turned around to catch her in time as she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Roxas," she said slowly as she opened her tired eyes. "I'm bushed." Roxas laughed as she giggled weakly and the others all approached them. They both looked up at Squall and Ralph, standing side by side.

"We've decided to go to war your highness," Manish said, bowing his head.

"That's good," Naminé responded. "But, what is the Razgriz?"

"When history experiences a great change," Leon said, "Razgriz reveals itself. First, as a dark demon. As a demon, it spreads destruction and death upon the land, and then dies. But then, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns," Leon stopped, seeing that Naminé was nodding off. She fell asleep right there in Roxas' arm in front of all the people who had come down to see, and the tiny floating metal object was still behind them. Someone approached and scooped it up. Turning to a comrade he said, "The field test was an excellent success."

"Field test?" Roxas asked. "What field test? What is that thing?" The man turned towards Roxas.

"This device is a small spherecam Sir Roxas," the man said. "It was recording the whole battle for future playback. We are producing a show that we want to call, Wartime Battlewatch, where we bring the battles that you and the other keyblade wielders fight on other worlds into the homes of people sitting comfortably in their living rooms while also providing complete coverage and details of the war against the heartless almost like part of the show is a newscast and the other part is watching part of a recorded battle. Since the first camera's field test was a complete success," he patted the camera like it was a pet, "Scrooge McDuck will produce and fund our show. Would you like to be interviewed for it Sir?" Roxas was taken aback at the sudden question, growing conscious of Naminé sleeping in his arms.

"I'll need to think about it," he replied as two women came forward. "Too much has happened today."

"Sir Dual Blade?" one of the women asked. "Please allow us to take the princess to her chambers in the castle." They came forward and Roxas allowed them to lift Naminé out of his arms and followed them. He summoned his keyblade into his hand and gawked when he saw the same one Naminé had been using in her Angelic Form in his right hand, even more surprising, the keychain was the same as the pendant he wore around his neck.

_So this is my own keyblade?_ He thought. _What should I call it then?_ He looked at the dark shaft, laced with the white double helix and the bayonet at the end. He then thought of the giant nobody he had fought on the Station of Serenity, while he was still living his life in the Virtual Twilight Town.

_How about the Twilight Thorn?

* * *

_

Kairi was lying down in relaxation with her back propped up against Grandmother Willow's trunk late in the evening after the Razgriz attacked the Radiant Garden. She was surrounded by small shimmering shafts of light floating around her in circles, which somehow were able to sooth her mind, because at the present moment she was far from placid. She had no idea where Naminé was and if she was alright, all the while not knowing that she had become a twin princess of the Radiant Garden and was currently sleeping soundly in royal bedchambers that at one point had belonged to her. But something else was ticking her off.

"Why isn't he here yet?" she asked aloud in frustration, despite the calming effect her light was having on her.

"You must be patient dear," Grandmother Willow said. "You need to wait for him to arrive." Kairi groaned.

"But waiting is just so boring!" she said. "Do you know how long I waited for him while I was captured by the Organization? I couldn't see him for ages and I wasn't able to go out and look for him. Which is just what I was about to do when I got captured. Now I'm free to look and I have to wait again?"

"Trust me dear," Grandmother Willow said. "It will be better if he comes to find you, and you are perfectly safe here, than if he arrives and cannot find you because you are out looking for him. You could miss each other yet are each searching for the other." Kairi shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way Grandmother Willow," she explained. "Our hearts are connected. We'd be able to find each other anywhere. And if that John Smith that Pocahontas keeps going on about was able to meet her out in the wilderness, then why can't Sora find me?"

"Hush child," Grandmother Willow said softly as the sun started to dip to the horizon and Kairi yawned, her light sprites overpowering her malcontent. "It's time to sleep. Do not worry about the young keyblade master. I'm sure he is trying to get away so he can look for you. If you remember, Pocahontas hasn't seen John Smith since the day they landed on these shores, and she's just as anxious to see him again as you are to see Sora. Now go to sleep, and let the world turn without you tonight." She nodded off and her light dissipated above her as her chest began to rise and fall with a rhythmic pace. It clouded over and it started to rain as the night wore on while she slept, protected from the rain by the thick branches and draping leaves that Grandmother Willow provided.

Miles away, Sora was groaning as he, Ben, Lon, Thomas, and John were putting up the final section of a wooden palisade wall that formed the main defence for their camp.

"Come on men," Ben said in encouragement as they pushed through the rain and mud, "it's only a little picket fence. Push!"

"Quick, get it propped up," Lon said as they got it standing, putting stakes into the ground to hold the wall up. It steadied and Thomas looked up at it in admiration through the falling rain.

"That ought to keep anything out, eh John?" he asked, turning to look at their captain. John said nothing, shoveling some of the mud away, but Sora placed his hand on the palisade.

"I wouldn't say anything Thomas," he said, seeing a raccoon climb down on one of their support beams. "It wouldn't keep me out if I really wanted to get in, and it certainly wouldn't keep out Nixion or the heartless, but it will definitely keep out the natives." Tom nodded at him but looked back at John, who seemed preoccupied with something.

"John?" Thomas asked. "Is something wrong? You've been awfully quiet the past few days."

"Aw he's just upset he missed all the action that's all," Lon said, waving his arm. "And if those Indians come again we'll give them some more of what we gave last time eh mates?" He grabbed a pickaxe and spun it around, pretending it was a rifle and took up a variation of the old song. "We shot ourselves and Indian, or maybe two or three."

"Alright you ninny," Ben said, kicking Long down onto the ground. "Get to work."

"Come on Ben," Lon said. "I was only having a little fun."

"Ben," Sora said, "may I ask, what work? We've finished building the wall, and I'm pretty sure that there is no gold around here. So, we all need a little bit of fun before Radcliff wants us to work on another crazy scheme."

"Oh we're having loads of fun right?" Ben asked rhetorically. "Look at us. No gold, no food. And Radcliff sits up in his tent all day, happy as a clam."

"I couldn't say he's too happy," Thomas said as the rain started to let up. "We haven't found a speck of gold since we landed."

"Yes, he probably is pretty angry," Sora said with a smirk. "I could probably just conjure some gold, though Merlin told me that was illegal by magical law and immoral, and then he'd be happy." He yawned and stretched his arms. "But I'm feeling a little too tired right now, so I think I'll sleep on it." Sora got down on the ground, drying it first with a fire spell and slept.

He awoke with a start in the grey morning with the sharp sound of a foot falling on the ground.

"You men," the Governor said and Sora, Ben, and Lon snapped up onto their feet, "Where is Captain Smith?"

"Well he's uh," Ben said, looking around, "he's gone."

"Go out and find him," Radcliff ordered.

"What if we run into the Indians?" Lon asked. Radcliff smiled slightly.

"That's what _guns_ are for. Now arm yourselves and get moving." Sora shrugged and followed Ben and Lon as they went to grab muskets, not getting a rifle for himself. But all the while, he was smiling inside. He had _finally_ gotten his chance to leave camp and search for Kairi.

* * *

The aforementioned girl was still sitting under Grandmother Willow's trunk in the afternoon that same day, although her frustration with Sora had now been replaced by worry. She rubbed Meeko's head and scratched his ears, trying to have something; anything to do that would keep her mind off of him.

_Has something happened?_ She thought to herself as she rubbed Meeko's belly. _Were there more than that one Charr heartless? Did he meet up with one while he was looking for me?_ She sunk her head down and held it in her left hand while her right continued to rub Meeko's belly. _I'll never forgive myself if that happened. But wouldn't I be able to sense something?_ She heard a sound and looked up as Meeko purred and got up from his back as Pocahontas and a man began to enter from the space of land that Grandmother Willow was backed onto. Kairi looked at his face and saw his kind blue eyes and blonde hair, realizing that he must be the John Smith that Pocahontas had kept talking about whenever she was able to get away to visit her. Smith stopped what he was saying, something about digging for gold, and stared at Kairi.

"What?" she asked, one of her hands going to her hip. "Never seen a girl with red hair before?" John Smith shook his head.

"It's not that," he said unsteadily. "It's just that you meet the exact description Sora gave us for his girlfriend Kairi." She smiled and placed her hands behind her head.

"Good thing that I am Kairi then," she said lightly before cocking her head towards John. "How is Sora by the way? Having fun not looking for me?" She could even feel the bite in her voice and shook her head with how harsh she had just sounded.

"No," John replied. "He's been stuck at camp with the rest of us. He's tried to slip off a few times but I've had to hold him back, or else Governor Radcliff would have tried to shoot off his head." Kairi looked down glumly; she had been blaming Sora without even knowing his situation. Now she really felt down. Pocahontas grimaced and grabbed John Smith's hand.

"Come here," she said. "There's someone else I want to introduce you to." She had John sit in the center of the stump in front of Grandmother Willow and he looked at Pocahontas in disbelieving wonder, Grandmother Willow having not revealed her face yet. Kairi looked up to the blank space where she know the tree would show her face and grinned, waiting…

Then suddenly there was a ripple as Grandmother Willow's face appeared and vanished. John started and started to shake his head.

"Did you see anything?" Pocahontas asked sweetly.

"No," John replied, unsure of himself. "No, I didn't see anything. Did I?"

"Look again," she said, leaning down by his head. John looked back and Kairi's grin widened as Grandmother Willow's face slowly appeared, singing softly.

"Listen with your heart, you will understand." The tree looked kindly down at him. "Hello John Smith."

"Talk back," Kairi whispered. In the back of her mind something prickled. Something or someone was getting closer to them.

"What do you say to a tree?" John asked.

"Anything you want," Pocahontas replied.

"Come here young man," Grandmother Willow said. "My bark is worse than my bite." John rubbed the back of his head and stood up.

"Uh… hello," he said unsteadily as a vine touched his back.

"Come closer John Smith," Grandmother Willow said, pushing him closer with the vine and staring into his eyes for a second, scrutinizing him. "He has a good soul, and he's handsome too."

"Oh I like her," John said, jabbing his thumb towards the tree.

"I thought you might," Pocahontas said, resting her head on his shoulder. Voices sounded near them and John grabbed Pocahontas and held her close as he pulled them to hide behind Grandmother Willow's trunk. Kairi went behind them as she could start to make out the words the people were speaking.

"I don't like the look of this place," someone said as they got closer. "Savages could be hiding anywhere."

"Well if you see one don't ask questions," another one with a heavy Scottish accent said as John Smith started to half draw a flint pistol, "just shoot." Grandmother Willow raised one of her roots and Kairi heard a thump as they fell onto the ground. Kairi placed a hand over her mouth to stop her small gasp when she heard the next person speak.

"Watch your feet Lon," Sora said angrily.

"It wasn't me," the man replied, "it was the tree."

"Oh aye," the Scot said. "The tree just felt like lifting its roots-" They stopped as Grandmother Willow dropped her root back onto the ground.

"Let's get out of here," the Scot said again, a touch of fear tainting his voice. They stood up and Grandmother Willow whipped her vines at them.

"What about Smith?" Sora yelled.

"He's a big lad. He can take care of himself." Kairi instantly conjured a piece of paper and pen as they slowly came out of hiding and wrote six words on the paper before quickly folding it into a paper airplane.

"What's that?" Pocahontas asked as she and John looked at her with interest. Kairi blew underneath its wings and sent it on a fair wind.

"A note," she replied, hoping that he would get it.

* * *

"Have you ever seen anything like that Sora?" Lon asked as they slowed down to a walk while they got away from the mad tree. Sora shook his head.

"I've seen a lot of crazy stuff on other worlds," Sora said. "Talking lions, mermaids, a trip into the past and even a world contained within a storybook. But I've never seen something like that." He rubbed the spot where the vine had hit him. "That willow tree has a serious grouch for some reason. Ow!" He put his hand up to the back of his neck, where something with a point had just hit him. His fingers brushed the something and he determined that it was paper. He grabbed the paper airplane and pulled it in front of his eyes. Sora's conscious mind dismissed everything either Lon or Ben said at the moment as his eyes swept across the single line in the middle of the page.

_Kairi,_ was all he could muster in thought. Without warning to either himself or his companions Sora spun around and bolted faster than the wind back in the direction he had come. He didn't know why he was so excited about it. The haunting thought of having to break up with the girl of his dreams, or just the prospect of seeing her alive and well after all of the evils his mind had conjured ever since Nixion's haunting farewell. He broke through the layer of vines and saw the aged trunk of the tree and figured that she had been behind that trunk the whole time. Funnily enough, he was able to sense the power and light she held coming from behind the tree, but he hadn't noticed it before, having been around her for so long before. A vine tried to whip him again but Sora saw it coming and raised a reflect shield around himself as he placed his back to the trunk. Sora sighed, a slight smirk on his face and lifted his head up.

"Thinking of you wherever you are," he said aloud, confident that Kairi could hear him. He knew it had to have been her that wrote the note, for those words he had spoken were the only ones adorning the page. He took another deep breath after the pause and continued, having memorized the whole thing. "We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope, that our hearts will blend." He shoved his back off the trunk as he was speaking and slowly moved towards the edge, preparing to go around. "Now I will step forward," he said, taking a step around the trunk, "to realize this wish." He finished walking around and turned his head casually, the smile widening. He dimly registered that he saw John Smith with a native woman with long raven hair, but standing in front of him, was Kairi, and she was smiling slyly at him just as he turned his head.

"And who knows?" Kairi asked, taking a step forward as they began to move towards each other. "Starting a new journey may not be so hard. Or maybe it's already begun."

"There are many worlds," Sora added, taking her hand without conscious thought. His head and heart were screaming conflicting arguments at him.

_You should not be doing this!_ His mind was saying. _You're trying to break up with her, not kindle the flame!_

_Keep going,_ his heart told him. _Look into her eyes and keep going._

"But they share the same sky," Kairi said, unaware of the battle raging within Sora.

"One sky," they said simultaneously as their foreheads touched each other, "One destiny."

_Don't do it,_ Sora's mind continued. _Stop it now. The prophecy, remember the prophecy!_

_You don't give a damn about that prophecy now that you have her,_ his heart argued. _She's in your arms now. Kiss her you love-struck fool!_ And as everyone knows, Sora listens to his heart. He hesitated for half a heartbeat before he swooped his mouth in on Kairi's, her warm lips waiting to greet him. He felt completed as his heart roared in triumph and his mind's argument melted away, being replaced by a placid agreement with his heart. His arms wrapped around her and he didn't care anymore about some stupid prophecy. He didn't even care that there were two, maybe three others watching them. How could he have lost his good senses and almost try to let her go? His reasoning was broken slightly however when he felt a bulge moving in on his lips. Kairi's tongue was flicking against his lips, begging for entrance. Sora wouldn't deny he was surprised at the new development, but followed his heart's command, opening his mouth and sliding his tongue past hers, getting his first taste of her. It was a better taste and feeling than any he had ever imagined in his wildest dreams as their tongues lashed and flickered around each other, playing an intricate dance while their saliva's merged and they explored every inch of the other's mouth. Neither of them knowing that Roxas and Naminé were doing the exact same thing far away on the Radiant Garden before going to a candlelight dinner and would later go to a movie where they would coincidentally meet Wardog flight in the lobby, but that's another story. Their tongues retreated back within their respective mouths as they both felt pressured for air and broke apart, gasping for breath. Sora looked into her eyes as they stood there, breathing in deeply the scent he had become accustomed to, and he lost himself in her eyes.

_Oh how could I have ever thought of ending it?_ He tightened his embrace and Kairi softly fell into him, drawing herself closer.

"I'll never let you go Kairi," Sora said softly, nuzzling his face in her auburn locks. She sighed in content and snuggled into his shoulder. "Kairi," Sora asked in interest after a moment, locating a new smell on her, "have you been burning wood?" She giggled slightly and turned her head towards his ear.

"Why do you ask?" she asked sweetly, both of them oblivious to everything around them.

"Because you have that wonderful wood smoke smell," Sora replied, taking in a great sniff.

"Sora?" he snapped his head up and away from Kairi, seeing John taking a step forward towards him. "We'd better get back or they'll send the whole camp out after us." Sora sighed and kept Kairi close for a few more seconds as Pocahontas approached John.

"When will I see you again?" she asked.

"Meet me tonight," John replied, placing a hand to her chin, "Right here." Sora pulled himself away from Kairi.

"Can you survive a few more hours apart?" he asked, looking at her sadly.

"I'll live," she said. Sora turned away and followed John out with Meeko following them. Pocahontas and Kairi looked at their retreating backs with longing.

"I want to see him again," Pocahontas said.

"Who wouldn't?" Grandmother Willow asked. "I want to see him again. And I'd like to see Sora again too if he can make you like that Kairi." Kairi looked at them both unashamedly.

"I make him the same way," she said slyly before looking back in the direction they had left. "And he's going to see me again before tonight." Pocahontas looked inquiringly at her and gasped. Kairi was starting to shimmer, and then vanished. Moments later the vine layer that concealed them parted enough to visibly allow someone of Kairi's stature to pass.

* * *

Sora and Smith arrived through the woods near the small entrance to their camp, Meeko on John's shoulders. Sora stepped on a branch and a musket was suddenly pointed at them.

"Easy Thomas," John said, holding up his hands as they identified the man holding the rifle. Meeko retreated into John's bag.

"Oh John, Sora," Thomas said in shock. "I could have killed you."

"Not shooting like that you won't," John said, getting up next to Thomas and looking down the barrel with him. "Keep both eyes open when you aim. You'll shoot twice as well." He patted Thomas on the back and moved through the barricade as Sora came up to Thomas.

"No you won't," Sora said. "Use your dominant eye like what you're doing. That's the one you need to aim with. Otherwise you'll see two rifles in front of you and you won't be sure just where you're aiming." Thomas nodded and followed Sora into the camp.

"Oi Sora! Where'd you run off to all of a sudden?" Ben called.

"I found John," he hollered back.

"SMITH!" Radcliff roared, spotting him and storming up to him. "Where have you been?"

"I was out scouting the terrain sir," John replied.

"Excellent," Radcliff responded. "You must then know the Indians' whereabouts. We'll need that information for the battle."

"What battle?" Sora asked, moving forward.

"We will eliminate these savages once, and for all."

"No!" John retorted. "You can't do that!" Radcliff glared at Smith.

"Oh? Can't I?"

"Look," John said, floundering slightly. "We don't have to fight them."

"John, what's gotten into you?" Thomas asked.

"I met one of them," John replied. Sora smirked.

_Failing to mention that the one he met was a woman,_ he thought.

"You… what?" Ben asked.

"A savage?" Thomas asked in disbelief.

"They're not savages," John explained irritably. "They can help us. They know the land, and how to navigate the rivers." A small raccoon's hand popped out of his bag, holding a cob of corn. "And look," John said, grabbing the cob. "It's food."

"What is it?" Ben asked. Sora made a lunge for it and grabbed it, peeling the husk further away.

"You didn't tell me they had corn," he said excitedly. "I've never been so glad to see a vegetable in all my life. This is going to be so much better than the gruel. One pot of boiling water and a slab of butter and salt shaker and I'll be in blissful heaven." John leant next to Sora.

"Kind of like a kiss from Kairi?" he whispered into his ear.

"Yeah kinda," Sora whispered back, starting to look off into space. Radcliff came up to him and forcefully grabbed the cob of corn from Sora's hands.

"They don't want to feed us you ninnies!" he roared, throwing the corn onto the ground. "They want to kill us."

"I was going to eat that," Sora said calmly, pointing down at the cob.

"They've got our gold," Radcliff said, rambling on and forcefully emphasizing himself. "And they'll do anything to keep it."

"But there is no gold," John said.

"And I suppose your little Indian friend told you this?" Radcliff asked lightly.

"Yes," John replied sternly.

"Lies!" Radcliff retorted. "Lies! All of it! Murderous thieves, there's no place for their kind in civilized society."

"But this is their land!" Sora yelled.

"This is MY land!" Radcliff retaliated. "I make the laws here!" He moved maliciously towards Sora and Smith, no longer trying to conceal a glare. "And I say that if anyone so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight, shall be tried for treason, and hanged!"

"People have tried to hang me before Governor," Sora retorted, staring the Governor down, "you won't be any luckier." Radcliff stalked away and everyone started breaking up, moving this way and that in their own thoughts. Sora stayed there, staring forward at the Governor's tent where he had retreated to.

"That Governor's an ass isn't he?" Sora nodded his head.

"You said it Kai," he answered, not really realizing what he was saying. He brought his head up in surprise as what he just said hit him. "Kairi?" he asked, looking around. But he saw no one. Sora scratched the back of his head, wondering if he was going crazy when the air in front of him started to warp and distort. Sora rubbed his eyes, muttering that he must be going crazy and looked back to see Kairi standing there with a smirk.

"You're not going crazy," she said honestly and sweetly. "I can wrap light around me so I become invisible." Sora gawked at her.

"When did you learn to do that?" he asked in awe. Kairi cocked her head to one side.

"About two days ago while I was waiting for you to show up," she answered, starting to come closer to him with a sly smile. "What do you say we continue where we left off?" She lovingly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and Sora looked around frantically.

"What if somebody sees?" he asked. Kairi looked at him and planted a kiss firmly on his lips, gripping the folds of his leather jacket. Sora stopped, almost in a daze, and looked at her with longing. "You're right, who cares?" His mouth rushed in and met hers, and within a heartbeat they were oblivious to everything around them.

Thomas glanced over at where Sora had been standing and stopped in shock. He could no longer see him.

"John!" he called, getting Smith to come up to him. "Where did Sora go? I swear he was standing right there, not a moment ago." John kept his face neutral and walked towards the space where Sora had been when he stopped, hearing quiet moans of pleasure in a low key. He smirked and turned around to look at Thomas.

"Don't worry about him," John said. "He'll show up when they get tired." Thomas looked at him without comprehension.

"When they get tired?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"So Sora," Kairi whispered sweetly as they broke their kiss for air, "What's new with you?" Sora chuckled a little.

"You're not going to like this Kai," he said. "But back there, if it wasn't for my heart I almost would have tried to break up with you." She tensed, and Sora prepared himself for the hit that never came.

"The prophecy?" Kairi growled. Sora sighed as he held her.

"You know about it too?" he asked.

"It doesn't refer to me," Kairi said sternly. "It can't refer to me, I won't let it. There are seven of us, I don't need to be the one. I won't lose you Sora." Sora gazed forward in wonder at the determination in her voice and smiled.

"As long as we're in denial we'll be alright," he said. Kairi giggled slightly before sighing.

"I don't want to be the one everyone is always after anymore," she said quietly. Sora moved one of his hands to the back of her head comfortingly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you back there Kai," he said, completely out of the blue.

"When?" Kairi asked.

"When we were escaping from the castle," Sora answered. "Maleficent attacked you, and I never even noticed until you were gone." Kairi pulled him closer.

"It's okay Sora," she whispered quietly. "It was all very hectic and I lost track of you as well. Besides, I'm stronger now than I was then. Want to see?" her eyes glinted playfully and they pulled away from each other so they could look into the other's eyes. Sora's held the same playful look as hers and they broke apart, each smiling. Sora flipped over backwards and summoned the Oblivion to his right hand as Kairi did the same with the Oathkeeper.

Thomas looked over in the direction Sora had been in, convinced he had heard a sound and gasped when he saw Sora standing with his keyblade in hand while directly across from him was a girl meeting the exact description of Kairi with a snow-white angelic keyblade in her hands. Before he could call out the two ran at each other and began dueling, their blades making ringing notes of metal on metal. Others came to watch the fight as soon as it began, some laughing at Sora because he was fighting a girl. Yet their laughs quickly died on their faces.

Kairi parried a downwards slash from Sora's Oblivion and sent a tongue of flame from her left hand at him. Sora back flipped away from it and Kairi backed away to give her some distance. Sora started charging back at her, flying in the air, and Kairi placed her palm on the earth.

"Gaia!" she cried. A column of earth shot up six feet, directly in front of Sora. He crashed into its base and the whole pillar came toppling down over top of him. Kairi's grin dropped from her face as she ran forward to see if he was alright. Kairi stopped near the pile of rubble and saw electricity crackling around in it. The rocks and dirt suddenly blew off in all directions and Sora tackled a startled Kairi to the ground. She smiled as soon as her head stopped swimming and Sora's face became clear as he lay on top of her.

"Score's 1-1, and who knows how many draws," she said. Sora smiled and was about to bring his lips down on hers when his stomach growled. Sora lazily rolled off of her, glaring down at his stomach and Kairi casually flicked her wrist. A swirling vortex of shining white light formed and she grabbed Sora's hand. "Come with me," Kairi said, pulling him up as she stood with a bead of sweat on her brow. Sora followed the soft pull her hand issued, completely oblivious to the settlers who were watching in awe, and followed her into the portal.

It was a whole lot different than the corridors of darkness he had traveled in. Instead of an ambient dark light that permeated through the corridor, it was bright, but not too bright, starlight. Sora looked around in slight awe as Kairi kept moving forward. She stopped and turned around at the resistance that his hand was making as he slowed down.

"Impressed?" she asked. Sora nodded and Kairi smiled.

"I thought you might be," she said, turning around. "We don't have a Gummi ship anymore, so I thought we'd need some other way of getting around." Sora nodded again and sighed as they continued through the corridor.

"Yeah," he said. "Max has the _Highwind_. Hey, have you been able to reach Naminé?" Kairi shook her head sadly.

"No," she said. "It's like she's not even there anymore. Have you been having the same thing with Roxas?" Sora nodded.

"Yeah,' he sighed. "He's not there anymore. I can feel him, somewhere, but it's not anywhere close. You think they might have become real or something when we left them in Maleficent's castle?" His words had quieted down as he said them, both of them realizing for the first time just where they had been the last time they had seen either of their Nobodies. Kairi stopped and shivered, her hands flying to her upper arms.

"Maleficent was after me," she said, rubbing her arms. "I'm sure they're both alright." Sora came up and hugged her.

"I hope so too," he said. "If Roxas can handle having Axel for a best friend, he can handle anything." Kairi giggled slightly at his jest and attempt to bring their spirits up and shook her head.

"Come on," she said, moving forward again as they neared the exit. "We'll see them when we see them. Let's get something to eat." They left the calming corridor of light and stepped out onto the stump in front of Grandmother Willow. Sora spotted a basket near her trunk and his stomach rumbled when he eyed the trout and corn.

* * *

Hours later they were relaxing together in a clearing near Grandmother Willow in the soft moonlight. Kairi was lying comfortably on her back, the comfort coming from the fact that she was lying overtop of Sora's chest, the top of her head resting inches away from his chin. Sora was happily fed with good food and finally being with Kairi made him contented. They had told each other everything that had happened to each of them since they had become separated in their flight from Maleficent, reckoning that it must now be the twelfth of September.

"So do you think it means me?" Kairi asked suddenly. Sora tilted his head down.

"Huh?"

"The prophecy," Kairi explained. "Do you think, ah never mind." She sent out a few shafts of light that illuminated them a little more and Sora looked down at her in anxiety as she sighed.

"Kairi?" he asked. The girl closed her eyes and leaned her head further back, taking comfort in the soothing effect her light was giving her. Sora placed a hand on her head and started rubbing in slow circles and Kairi gave a low moan of contentment.

"I just don't want any child I might have to go through something worse than this," she said after a while. "That's all." Sora smirked and chuckled a little as he rubbed her head.

"Am I that bad at this?" he joked. Kairi giggled as she turned around to look at him, his hand sliding down to her cheek.

"No," she said, fingering his chin. Kairi pulled herself further up on Sora and leant in for a kiss. "And I guess this isn't so bad." They broke apart after a moment to gaze starry-eyed into each other's blue eyes.

"I think it's Alice," Sora said after a while. Kairi cocked her head to the side in inquiry.

"Alice?"

"Yeah," Sora said. "You're older than her. So logically you are not the seventh." Kairi smiled.

"You just don't want to give me up for some stupid knight," she said in playful accusation.

"That too," Sora replied, giving her a quick kiss. Kairi turned around again so her back was on him and looked up at the night sky.

_Good job you two._ Sora and Kairi each snapped their heads up.

_Huh?_ They thought simultaneously.

* * *

Sora found himself standing on a stained glass platform with his own image superimposed in the center. His image was lying down on the bent paopu, and Sora reacted in shock to find that his left arm on the image was metal. A blue cloak, edged with gold, was clasped around his back. He was looking out into the night sky with a smile on his face, finding that it was filled with stars. Sora looked up from his image and saw that there were seven blue circles around the rim of the platform and one blue heart near his head. Inside the circles were the faces of Riku, Roxas, Naminé, Donald, Goofy, Max, and what looked like a hawk, and inside the heart was Kairi.

_Why is my left arm metal?_ He asked himself, still looking at the arm.

"Hey, you showed up." Sora searched for the voice and saw Riku appear overtop of the circle that bore his image.

"Riku?" Sora asked.

"Actually, I'm the spirit of Riku that resides in your heart," Riku said and he jabbed his thumb behind him. "The _real_ Riku is over there." Sora looked past the spirit and saw that his platform was actually surrounded by many other platforms. And directly behind where the Riku was standing on his platform there was another platform where _another _Riku was standing and waving at him.

"Riku!" Sora called, ecstatic that his friend was so close. The Riku on his platform chuckled slightly.

"He can't hear you Sora," he said, "and he doesn't know what's going on with you or Kairi unless the spirits of you two that live within his heart come out and tell him what's going on. And you guys can't figure out what's happening with him unless you dive into your minds and talk to me. However, Riku has figured out that if all three of you are within your minds at the same time you can all talk to each other through the spirits. So in a moment I'll start talking for Riku over there and Kairi should pop up soon." Kairi's blue heart started to shimmer and she appeared overtop of the heart.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" she asked. Riku looked over at her.

"Nothing much," he said. "Just explaining the plan." She nodded before looking at Sora.

"Are you just as confused about this as I am?" she asked. Sora nodded. Roxas' circle started shimmering and within a moment he showed up as well.

"Sora, invite me in," he said. "Just call out to your spirit on my platform and get me to jump into my own mind. Kairi's probably doing the same thing with Naminé right now." Sora scratched his head but stopped when a bright light obscured his eyes.

Now he found himself standing on another platform, except this one had almost no image on it. Instead it was a simple interlacing golden pattern winding around the Kingdom Key. Sora looked around and saw that he was standing on the platform with Roxas, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé. Naminé had her head turned to Riku and was speaking.

"If you had wanted some kind of connection between us all where we could speak to each other you just had to ask me," she was saying. "Having to get all those spirits to transfer words around would just be too confusing. They have their own thoughts and feelings too. We are all connected with Sora after all."

"I know that Naminé," Riku said. "I just didn't know you could do this, and you two are both in Twilight Town."

"Actually," Roxas said. "We're in the Radiant Garden in the middle of a date." Sora looked over at Roxas and spotted some changes. For one, his whole left arm was in a cast and supported by a purple and gold sling, and there was a purple and gold cape around his back.

"Roxas?" Sora asked. "What happened to your arm?" Roxas turned to look at him and placed his right hand to his chin in mock thought.

"Roxas? Roxas?" he asked himself before grinning and looking at Naminé. "Do you see a 'Roxas' around here Princess Naminé?" Naminé smiled as Sora, Riku, and Kairi looked at her in shock, Sora noticing that she had on a different outfit than her usual white dress.

"No, I don't see a Roxas around here," she said, adding a pause at the end for dramatic effect.

"Come on Naminé," Kairi said. "He's standing right there!"

"I see a S_ir _Roxas Dual Blade," Naminé continued, "but not a single ordinary Roxas in sight." All three of the others whipped their heads around to look at him.

"A knight?" Riku asked.

"A knight of Disney Castle," Roxas corrected. "I was knighted by King Mickey two days ago."

"Does nobody ever plan on telling us these things?" Kairi asked, moving to stand next to Sora. The other three looked at her.

"Well, nobody knows where you guys are," Riku said. "Oh by the way, is it okay if Yuffie and I take your rooms on the _Highwind_? We kind of had a fight for some reason when I saved her life a few days ago and sleeping on the floor is starting to get to me." Sora placed a hand to his head and shook it with a laugh.

"Yeah, that floor _is_ uncomfortable," he said. Sora looked up at his best friend and smiled. "Sure, take my room. And take the _Highwind_ for that matter. But Kairi still needs to give her consent to let Yuffie have her room." He looked over at her and she nodded.

"Tell Yuffie she can go right ahead," she said. Kairi then started to add the days up in her mind. "Wait, you guys have been sleeping without beds for _five_ days?" Riku nodded with a dry laugh and the others shook their heads.

"So _Sir_ Roxas," Sora said and Roxas laughed. "Your arm?" Roxas looked down at it for a second before waving it off.

"Ah, just my reward for fighting a Charr heartless one-on-one," he said. Sora nodded his head.

"Ah, so I take it you lost then?" The others all laughed except for Roxas, who gave Sora a stern look.

"Well Sora," Kairi began, "what would you call your fight with Nixion then?" Again, heads turned at this news.

"You've seen Nixion?" Naminé asked. Sora nodded grimly and looked down.

"He wiped the floor with me," he said quietly. "If I hadn't summoned Bahamut…" he left his sentence hanging as quiet astonishment permeated atop the platform.

"So he's grown that powerful," Riku growled, breaking the silence first. "All from a shred of Maleficent's power."

"Good thing I have a power-up then," Naminé said, pointing to the blue gem in the circlet on her forehead. Roxas gave a laugh when the others looked at it.

"Yeah," he said. "You can drive now too." He turned to Sora and began whispering. "She looks good in it, even though she uses me to achieve it." Sora nodded as Kairi leaned in to hear.

"How is it?" he asked.

"We call it her 'Angelic' Form," Roxas whispered back. "Her clothes turn all white and she grows wings." Sora and Kairi looked at Naminé in astonishment.

"Wings?" they asked aloud. Naminé nodded when Kairi suddenly grabbed her stomach in pain and Sora's hand flew to the side of his head.

"Sora! Kairi!" Riku cried. "What's wrong?" They didn't reply for some seconds, consumed with whatever was hurting them.

"I think we're being attacked," Sora replied in pain, "from the outside."

"That's right," Naminé said. "I can't stop time."

"But when I was with Xehanort in my own mind," Riku added. "I figured out that one minute here was a second there." Roxas shook his head.

"That doesn't matter now," he said, looking at Sora and Kairi in anxiety. "Sora, Kairi, please get out now. Just will yourselves out and out you go." They both nodded through their respective pains and vanished from the platform.

* * *

Sora's head was reeling when he came back to in his body. He was laying face-down on the ground, a splitting pain in the side of his head. There was pressure on his back and his hands were being forced together behind him. Sora had no clue what was going on and the pain in his head was giving him reason not to care about anything other than that. He grimaced and bit back a cry of pain as his hands were tightly bound. Someone grabbed him forcefully and stood him up. The sudden change caused his head to swim fitfully even more and he swayed dangerously on his legs. Through his blurry vision he could make out that Kairi was also being subject to this and that there were around a dozen Indians around the both of them. They were frog-marched through the woods, joining up with another group that had John Smith.

"John!" Sora called upon seeing him. "What's going on?" John looked up at him, biting back his own pain as well, but did not say a word. They were pushed through the woods, spear points at their backs, until they came up to Pocahontas' village. A muscled man with a feather headdress was standing in the center of the entrance to the village, surrounded by warriors.

"Who did this?" he asked.

"Pocahontas went out into the woods," an Indian spoke up, shoving Smith forward into firelight. "Kocoum went to find her, and when he did this white man attacked them." Sora felt himself getting shoved forwards as well and Kairi fell next to him. "These two were nearby," the Indian continued. Kairi glanced up at the man with the headdress before looking at Sora.

"That has to be Pocahontas' father," she whispered hurriedly, "their chief Powhatan." Powhatan surveyed the three of them with anger.

"Your weapons are strong," he said. "But you will find that our anger is stronger." They were brutally shoved forward again through the village. There were faces in mourning and anger all around them and hateful cries were shouted in their direction. The three of them were put into a tent and tied further onto a stake set up in the middle and a guard was set outside of the tent. Kairi sighed as she sat on the ground.

"Captured again, eh Sora?" she said. Sora smiled and looked at her.

"You think they'll have any better luck in killing us than everyone else who has tried?" he asked. Kairi shook her head.

"No," she replied, "but we can humour them for a while."

* * *

_A long chapter and they're together again._

_Leave a review!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	31. Going Digital

_Yes! I've waited for forever to do this chapter. Introducing two new OCs that took me a painstaking amount of time to develop properly, hope you like them. If you want to know everything about them that I have at the moment, check them out in Broken Angel01's forum Digital Connections topic OCs._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square-Enix, or anything else. _

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXI: Going Digital

Sora and Kairi jumped into their minds as they and John Smith sat tied up on the stake within their prison tent. Sora waited for Kairi to call out to Naminé, and while he waited he took a good look around on his platform. He knew who seven of the figures within the circles and heart were. Roxas, Naminé, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Max all made sense to be there, but he was confused about the bird. Why was the spirit of a bird within his heart? How was this person connected to him? Did he know him now, and just not know it, or would he soon meet him? He found his eyes wandering away from the unknown bird to look at himself lying on the trunk of the paopu tree. What did it mean? He was looking up into a sky filled with stars. Was this an image of the future? Did that mean that they would be successful and defeat Maleficent? And his left arm was metal and he was wearing a blue cloak. If this was the future, what was going to happen to him? Sora sunk his head into one hand and rubbed his hand through his hair. He had so many questions burning within him that he didn't notice when he had shifted onto the platform where they talked to each other.

"Hey, do you guys know just how much of the movie we're missing?" Roxas said. "Nam and I are in the middle of a date here!" Kairi ignored him and looked at Sora.

"You alright Sora?" she asked. Sora jerked his head up and looked at her. "This doesn't have anything to do with us being captured again?" Roxas looked over at them.

"Again?" he asked. Kairi nodded.

"Yes, again. We didn't put up a fight." Sora shook his head.

"No, it isn't that," he said. "It's just my platform." They all looked at him.

"Your platform?" Naminé asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. I just don't understand it."

"Well, what's on it?" Riku asked. Sora looked up at him.

"Well, in it. I'm lying on the paopu tree," he explained to Riku. "And I'm smiling as I'm looking up into the night sky, which is filled with stars. Around the edge are seven blue circles, and near my head is a blue heart. Kairi is in the heart, go figure, and you, Roxas, Naminé, Donald, Goofy, and Max are in the circles."

"That's only six people," Naminé said quickly.

"I know," Sora added. "The seventh circle is occupied by what looks like a hawk. I've got no clue who it is, but that's not the disturbing part. The disturbing part is that my left arm… is made of metal. And I'm wearing a blue cloak." Kairi gasped.

"Is it trimmed with gold around the edges?" she asked. Sora looked at her.

"Yeah…" he answered slowly. Kairi gulped.

"I'm wearing the same thing on my platform," she said. "And I also have a bird in one of the circles on my platform, and I don't know who it is either." Roxas raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

"I'm surprised Kairi," he said. "You're stressing over the similarities between both of your platforms and you haven't seemed to register one thing yet." Kairi looked over at him in confusion and he sighed. "My brother's missing an arm!" Sora looked over at him and raised his eyebrows as Kairi looked down.

_His arm's metal on my platform too,_ she thought. _I just don't want to dwell on it._ Naminé glanced at Kairi in anxiety, knowing her thoughts, while Sora started speaking to Roxas, who wasn't paying attention to what Kairi was thinking.

"We're brothers now then?" he asked, a smile forming on his face.

"Dude," Roxas replied, "more like twins. The same thing is true with Kairi and Naminé." Kairi looked up and the two girls looked at each other.

"So that's why Roxas called you princess earlier," she said, smiling. "Now that we're sisters, you're a princess too." Naminé nodded.

"And because my heart is full of light as well," she said, "and I was a part of you, I'm also the eight princess of heart." She scowled and looked down and away from them. "That means that that prophecy applies to me as well," she spat.

"Don't worry about it," Riku said, waving his hand. "Make your own destiny. Decide who you want and stick with them." Sora folded his arms and leaned in Riku's direction.

"Speaking of which," he said slyly. "What was this about you and Yuffie having a fight?" Riku quickly looked away before glancing at them all.

"I don't get it!" he said. "All I did was save her life? Why is she so angry at me? And Max doesn't help at all. He's too busy trying to play through the video games that we star in. Oh by the way, he can't get past the Stealth Sneak in Deep Jungle." Riku scoffed his head upwards as Sora and Kairi exchanged surprised looks with each other. It was news to them that they were in video games. "Serves him right," Riku continued. "He chose to take the power of the Warrior and drop the power of the Guardian. Gaining strength but losing defence. Ha!" Sora placed a hand to his chin.

"That's the exact opposite of what I chose," he said. "When I had my dream, it seems so long ago now; I chose Guardian and gave up Warrior." Roxas grunted slightly in interest.

"That's funny," he said. "When I was on the Station of Serenity, I was only given the choice of what to take and I didn't have to give anything up. I chose Warrior." Kairi cleared her throat and the others looked at her.

"I think we were going to discuss why Yuffie would be angry at Riku," she said. The others nodded.

"Well," Naminé said, looking at Riku as egg-shaped chairs that swiveled appeared for all of them to sit in, "What was happening when you saved her life?" Riku sat down in his chair and the others did the same.

"Okay," he said. "So we were in this world like Mickey instructed us to search for Maleficent's allies. None were on the world but she had sent heartless to take it so we defended it of course. Now, we weren't the only people who weren't from the world to show up. There were these two factions of giant transforming robots that were there as well and the world was populated by humans with about our level of technology and they can't do magic. We just like swords and melee weapons a whole lot more because their cooler. Anyway, the Autobots were friendly to the humans and us and the Decepticons weren't. We were fighting them in a city and because their leader Megatron had gained control of the heartless we were fighting them as well. One of the Decepticons by the name of Starscream, who took the form of an F-22, came barreling down on us in an intersection with several heartless jets on his wing. They fired missiles at us. Yuffie was standing directly in the path of the missiles and was petrified by fear. I ran in, the Guardian threw her out of the way, and then it protected me against the missile attack, leaving me completely unharmed. And then Yuffie comes up and slaps me in the face and calls me an idiot!" He finished his tale and looked at the others. Sora and Roxas were just as confused as he was while Kairi and Naminé scowled at him.

"Idiot," Naminé muttered. Riku looked affronted at her.

"Well why am I an idiot?" he asked.

"You'll have to figure that out on your own," Kairi said.

"It's been two days and I still can't figure it out," Riku replied. Kairi and Naminé shook their heads and Sora brought his up in realization.

"I've got it!" he exclaimed in his epiphany. "You put yourself in a position that would almost guarantee your death and that worried Yuffie to no end. So as soon as she sees that you're alive-"

"-she slaps you because she never wants you to make her worry and think that you're dead again," Roxas finished for him. They swiveled their egg chairs around and pounded each other's fists while Riku brought his head skywards.

"So that's why," he said quietly. "Now I know how to sort this all out. Thanks guys." Kairi and Naminé grimaced at their boyfriends.

"You weren't supposed to tell him," Naminé scolded. Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"How about this," Roxas said. "The next time Riku's having troubles with Yuffie, we won't help him figure it out." They each grinned and Kairi and Naminé lost their annoyance, those smiles could just wipe any anger they had at them away.

"At least now I can come up with a plan on how to say sorry then," Riku spoke up, rising from his chair. "Sora, before I go, do you have any tips for Max on beating the Stealth Sneak?" Sora placed a hand to his chin while Kairi and Naminé just shook their heads and muttered 'boys'.

"Well, Donald didn't teach me how to cast 'cure' until after that," Sora said. "So my advice to him is to stock up on potions in Traverse Town, maybe level up a bit more, and then concentrate on Clayton, you would not believe just how much easier it was to fight that thing without Clayton firing off his shotgun. Also, fight with Donald and Goofy so they can heal him, err, me." Sora scratched his head in a slightly confused way and Riku nodded.

"Wait Riku," Kairi said as he was turning to go. Riku looked back at her over his shoulder.

"Yes Kai?" he asked. Kairi looked down and started subconsciously rubbing her arm.

"Is what PJ said true?" she asked after a long pause. "Are the Islands and our parents-?" Riku looked down and away.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Mine are gone too. We're all orphans."

"How many got away?" Sora asked painfully, gripping the sides of his chair.

"Just under two hundred," Riku said bitterly. "Only a tithe of us survived that night. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie made it out; as well as Kia, Anar, Isil, and Jeffery. They're spearheading a band of youth that are training in Twilight Town to fight the heartless, so we won't have to fight alone anymore." Sora sighed in relief.

"That's good," he said. "I wish them the best of luck." Riku nodded.

"Me too," he said before vanishing.

"Nam," Roxas said, "we're missing the movie." Naminé looked up in surprise.

"Oh right," she said, a slight blush forming, "our date." She looked at Sora and Kairi apologetically. "Sorry guys. We'll see you when we see you. Good luck with being captured again." Sora waved her off.

"Don't worry about us," he said lightly. "Enjoy yourselves. Just don't do anything we wouldn't do," he glared at Roxas at this point and his voice became stern, "_Roxas_." Roxas put his arm up defencively.

"Hey! Do you think I can do anything like that with this arm?" he asked, affronted.

"Roxas!" Kairi said in shock. The boy laughed.

"Just joking," he laughed as both he and Naminé vanished. Sora found himself sitting tied to the stake again, his hands tightly bound onto it as he sat in their prison tent. Kairi was next to him on his right and John was behind both of them to Sora's left. Sora looked over at Kairi and saw her looking at him.

"Captured again," he said. Kairi gave a quiet, dry laugh.

"How many does this make?" she asked. She then looked up and started to answer her own question before Sora could speak up. "Let's see, once for me when my heart migrated to yours and Maleficent found my lifeless body, again for me when the Organization captured me, then _three_ times in Port Royal, Cossex and Nixion caught us in the Pride Lands, and now here. So for me," she said, adding the numbers up in her head, "I'm at seven. Huh, how lucky?" She smiled and looked over at her boyfriend, who was also grinning.

"Seven, wow," Sora said with a smile. "Now for me, our ship was swallowed by Monstro, so there's the first one. Hook had me walk the plank in Neverland, I'm not sure if I should count turning into a heartless or not, then there was the time I spent in Castle Oblivion where the damn Organization toyed with my memories because they had captured Naminé. Commander Sark captured us in Space Paranoids twice, once when we first got there and once again into the Game Grid. Two times again in Port Royal because Barbossa and Pete tied us up and placed us on the _Interceptor_ ready to blow up and then Luxord blew us up on the _Interceptor_ and we became marooned in a shipwreck graveyard until Will and Elizabeth showed up on the _Pearl_. Then those three times in Port Royal, the Pride Lands, and here in the New World." He brought his head up and thought for a few seconds. "Twelve, or thirteen, depending on whether or not we count turning into a heartless." Kairi looked at him with surprise before a sly smile formed.

"Unlucky thirteen then," she said in fake awe. "Guess we can call you the damsel in distress then." Sora smirked in annoyance.

"Oh thanks princess," he drawled. Kairi giggled slightly and John spoke up.

"Then you two have been in worse situations than this then," he said, straining his neck to look at Sora. Sora nodded and likewise strained to look at John.

"Yep," he said. "And this one is probably the easiest for us to get out of. For instance," he rubbed his bound hands on the stake. "These bonds are a fibrous rope, not metal. All we would have to do to free ourselves is burn them off with magic."

"Then why don't you?" John asked.

"Because that would just be plain rude and it wouldn't be fun," Kairi said. John looked around at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Fun?" he asked with a chuckle. Kairi nodded.

"Of course," she replied in a whisper. "If we wait for them to untie us and they think we're defenceless, then we can surprise them all when we call out our keyblades and beat them back when they try to kill us. Or if they try to kill us _without_ removing the bonds, we can then burn them off right in front of their eyes." John shook his head and the tent flap opened, letting firelight partially spill onto Sora's face. The light was obscured and Pocahontas entered as the tent flap closed.

"Hey Pocahontas," Kairi said, wringing her neck around to look at the young woman. Kairi looked at her sadly and strangely, confused at her lack of an overhanging dread of death. Pocahontas turned away from Kairi and came up to John, where she hugged him.

"Hey," John said. "It's okay. I've gotten out of worse situations than this." He brought his head up sharply before looking down at her in anxiety. "Can't think of any right now though."

"I think we're intruding on an 'alone' moment Kai," Sora whispered, getting his head as close to hers as possible.

"Yeah," she breathed back. Sora searched for a way for them to be engaged in their own conversation to give Pocahontas and Smith some privacy when his thoughts went back to the images on his platform.

"You said that there was a bird on your platform too?" he asked. Kairi picked up on his move instantly.

"Yeah," she said. "Not a clue who it is though." Sora nodded.

"Maybe it's the same person," he pondered aloud. "The one on my platform looked like a bit like a hawk. Well his head made him look like one." Kairi shook her head.

"No, mine isn't like that," she said. "Her beak was more rounded like it is more used for breaking nuts than picking apart flesh."

"Oh," Sora replied. "Well, whoever they are, I wonder how they're connected to us."

"Me too," Kairi said. "But I'm more concerned about your arm." Sora looked at her. Her voice shook slightly when she mentioned his arm. "Could it be the future?" she asked aloud. "Could we win, but you lose your arm along the way?" A tear was forming on the corner of her eye and Sora strengthened his resolve.

"Kairi," he said, his voice commanding her to look at him. "I don't want to lose my arm either. But if we save the worlds, my left arm is a small price to pay for the thousands of people and creatures we can save from becoming heartless." Kairi nodded slowly to herself, shaking the tear off of her eyelashes.

"But how warm can a mechanical metal arm be when compared to your soft skin?" she asked. Sora smiled weakly at her and rustled his arm as if to place a hand to her cheek.

"As long as it's a part of me it'll still be warm," he replied, his eyes seeming to sparkle. Pocahontas got up from behind them and they stopped talking to watch her go. She stopped near Kairi and looked sadly at her before turning her head away and bolting out of the tent. Kairi looked inquiringly at Sora and turned to give the same look to John.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"What was what about?" John replied.

"That look Pocahontas just gave me," Kairi explained. "It was like she was dreading something for me especially." Sora and John shrugged.

"Beats me," Sora said. Kairi let her head fall and became lost in her own thoughts as the three sat in silence, listening to the Indians' war chant, and being outraged at being called savages.

"We don't only feel greed," Sora muttered to himself.

"We aren't empty husks," John added.

"We do bleed," Kairi muttered, sending a fearful glance at Sora. The drums continued to sound outside and the three cast down their faces as the war cry grew in intensity. Sora's ears pounded with every boom of the drums and the firelight flickered through his spiked hair, drooping down over his eyes. It seemed like there was nothing they could do until the end.

* * *

The intensity of the Indian's rally grew on as it drew into the night and Sora and Kairi gleaned from John that their cause for retribution was the death of their greatest warrior, Kocoum, whom Thomas had shot when the native attacked John.

"But they wouldn't listen to us," John had said. "We're prisoners, and white." Sora and Kairi agreed with him. It may be unjust to hold them captive, but tensions had been high between the two sides after the skirmish on the first day, and it only needed one act to bring the two into hostilities. Sora laughed and pointed that it was ironic that two people coming together from each side was the act that would bring forth battle instead of soothing the relations between them.

The tent flap opened and red light spewed into the tent. Sora and Kairi brought their heads up while John kept his down. Chief Powhatan and two warriors entered and cut Sora and Kairi loose. The two stopped for half a millisecond in shock before their arms were wrung behind their backs again and were frog marched out of the tent again, John's cries that he should be hurt instead falling on deaf ears. Sora's hands were bound once more behind his back and he was shoved on the ground with two spear-wielding warriors flanking him. Kairi was flung forward into a wide space in front of the tent and found that she was closely surrounded by a ring of warriors.

"Now your woman will feel the power of our anger before we kill you three at sunrise," Powhatan said to Sora. Sora snarled at him.

"Kairi is not my woman!" he roared back. Kairi looked at him in hurt for a moment but then he continued. "I hold no ownership over her! She is her own person and if our hearts tell us to be together then we will! But I do not force myself upon her." Kairi looked appraisingly at Sora for his response but Powhatan's glare did not vanish as he looked at Sora.

"Your words are strange young one," he said. "But you will then watch, as your heart cries in pain upon seeing this Kairi with my people."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked quickly. A hand came out and slapped her in the face.

"How dare you speak to our chief white devil?" an Indian roared as Kairi reeled and Sora called her name. Kairi looked up, removing her hand from the red mark on her cheek, and saw the Indians advancing towards her. Their movements and eyes clearly showed to her what their intentions were. She backed up a step before looking behind her and seeing more coming from behind. She snapped her head forward again and started looking around at the closing ring while Sora's eyes contained stark fear.

"You're not going to tie me up?" Kairi asked.

"This makes it more fun," one of her aggressors replied. Kairi smirked, the red light glinting in her eyes and through her auburn hair, turning it a haunting crimson. The Oathkeeper suddenly appeared in her right hand and the advancing Indians stopped while Sora's fear vanished from his eyes.

"What is this?" Powhatan asked. Kairi sprang into action before anyone could answer him. She quickly bent down and placed her left hand on the ground.

"GAIA!" she roared. Six pillars of earth, each around six feet high, shot up around her in the mass of men that she realized were advancing towards her. The men unfortunate enough to be standing under the pillars were rocketed skywards. The others, realizing that this catch needed to be fought into submission, charged forward. Kairi straightened up and quickly sent a gusher of water out of the Oathkeeper's tip at them and spun around in a circle. The men drenched by the water were sent sprawling onto the ground in sopping heaps and more continued to run forward. Kairi looked up in surprise as an arrow fell to the ground not a foot away from her and she instantly reacted to deflect another two arrows with the Oathkeeper and sent another waterga spell at the men in front of her. Her arms were suddenly struck to her sides as an Indian grabbed her from behind. The Oathkeeper vanished as he crushed her in his arms and she struggled fruitlessly while he laughed. Another column of earth sprung up from beneath them in a last ditch effort to free Kairi from the attacker's grasp and they were shot skyward, but the man's grip stayed.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled as he burned the ropes off of his hands and stood, to the amazement of Powhatan and his two guards. Before they could react he shot forwards into the sky himself, urging him to fly faster than the wind towards the girl who was slowly having the air squeezed out of her. He caught up to them in the air as the two started to descend and Sora registered that the man was looking at him in shock right before Sora punched him in the face. The man released his hold on Kairi and fell towards the ground as Sora caught Kairi.

"And stay down!" Sora yelled after him as he hovered in the air. Kairi's arms flew around his neck and he suddenly felt her lips hit home on his cheek. He looked down on her as she smiled.

"My saviour," she said.

"My princess," he replied. Sora was surprised that she didn't grimace at him. "You're coming to terms with the fact that you're a princess," he remarked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Might as well live with it." Sora looked down and saw an arrow moving towards them.

"Whoa!" he said as he swerved to avoid it.

"Sora get me down!" Kairi ordered. "Let's teach these 'would be rapists' a lesson they'll never forget!" Sora's eyes had never left hers, and he saw the intensity of their fires flare up. He nodded curtly and began descending rapidly. His feet touched the ground and Kairi leapt onto her feet, the Oathkeeper reappearing in her hands. The Oblivion came to its master and Sora and Kairi placed their backs to each other, sizing up the competition. Needless to say, the Indians were taken aback that they were facing two kids whose faces were so grim and determined. Without a moment's hesitation the two teens released mild thunder spells at their opponents, sending them onto the ground in pain. Fire flared around Kairi's blade as she artfully spun and twirled around amidst her opponents, each of them backing away from her in fear.

They both lost themselves in the heat of combat as their battle wore on. Indians fell to the ground left and right as weak magical spells struck them, or were flung sky-high as Kairi worked her earth and air magic, and then got up on their feet not minutes later to continue the fight, their anger at the two white teenagers fueling them with enough adrenaline to make the frailest mouse cause even the stoutest lion to quake in fear. The two teens were so caught up in defending themselves that they didn't even notice the occasional wound or small gash that they received. Sora's jacket and jeans were ripped in several places and shallow gashes had been made on his arms, legs, and back. Kairi looked a little worse. Her situation was basically the same except there was also a jagged cut on her forehead. Sora released a water spell at several men, sending them crashing into one of the columns of earth Kairi had pulled from the ground when he suddenly felt his arms snap to his sides and the air getting slowly crushed out of him.

"I saw you before," the Indian said. "You wrapped vines around Mamantak. Now I'll wrap my arms around you!"

"I was healing him," Sora squeezed out through the intense pain as he started concentrating on the intense heat of the bonfire burning not far away. "And I don't really want to hurt you. So I'm sorry about this pal but, fire." His jacket's temperature soared and the Indian dropped him, his arms starting to get a minor burn. Sora turned around and sighed at the red marks on the Indian's bare arms and chest and pointed his keyblade at it. "Cure." The green tendrils wrapped around him and the man winced, expecting to be crushed, but instead his face filled with awe as the burns vanished and he felt no pain. A fist contacted with the side of his head and Sora started seeing stars as he careened forward in a daze. He held his head with his left hand and casually flicked the Oblivion with his right as a reflect shield erected around him. He shook his head to try and rid himself of the splitting pain before turning around and looking out of the small dome. He was surrounded by Indians who were wielding spears, mattocks, and tomahawks. Sora dropped the shield and back flipped over those behind him. He felt his back touch another's and he could tell just by the feel of it that it was Kairi's. A sphere of fire erupted around them and flickered outwards, singeing anyone who got too close. Sora fired bolts of sizzling electricity out of the fire sphere, sending a few more Indians to the ground. A cloud of arrows flew towards them from all directions and the fire shield dropped to be replaced by the honeycomb pattern of a reflega spell. The arrows hit the defensive shield and halted as Sora and Kairi became visible again, each panting with sweat on their foreheads. The shield fell and the arrows clattered to the ground. The native warriors started to advance again.

"Stop!" Powhatan commanded, and they stopped. Powhatan stared at Sora and Kairi, his expression unreadable.

"You two are young as wolf cubs, but fight as cornered demons," he said, shaking his head. "And you do not fight as if you wish to kill my men, only take the will to fight out of them."

"We only kill black devils and white husks that we call heartless and nobodies," Kairi replied. "Your own daughter can attest to seeing heartless." Powhatan looked at her in amazement.

"Pocahontas?" he asked before looking around. "Pocahontas!" he called, but she did not come. Kairi turned her head towards Sora.

"I think I know where she is," she said. Kairi waved her hand and a portal of light appeared next to the two of them. Kairi moved into the portal, her head in one hand and moving slower than before and Sora faced Powhatan with open hands as he backed into it.

"You don't need to fight," he said as the portal's entrance closed with him safely inside. Sora turned around and saw Kairi swaying dangerously. His face grew in anxiety and he rushed to her side to catch her just before she fell. Kairi winced with her head in her hand and Sora's hands on her shoulder blades.

"We're going to need a rest," she quietly. "It's already well into the night and we've been fighting against them for at least three hours." Sora nodded. He could fight on the level they had just been fighting at, the same level they fought at when they sparred, for a whole day if he was well rested and fed. Yet deep in the night, tired and worn out with having a lack of food for the past few days and more strenuous activity than he was used to, he could barely keep going even now. He suddenly noticed just how beat up they were and soundlessly healed them. His head started nodding and Kairi noticed this as he held her while the green light illuminated them for a second.

"Sora," she said, causing his head to snap up. She smiled slightly at his frazzled expression. "Put me down," she asked quietly. "We're completely safe in these corridors of light, so we can rest here for a while and no heartless or nobodies can attack us." Sora smiled through a yawn and did as she requested.

"We're going to need bedrolls though," he said, making his best effort to conjure two up. He had been sleeping on cold, hard ground the past three nights and a hammock the previous two and did not want his sleep pattern to be changed any more than it already had. Kairi stayed his actions with her hand and he looked at her. Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but a yawn obstructed her speech somewhat.

"I'll make my own," she said. "We can't have you passing out in the middle of making them. Besides, I've been having rough nights lately so the extra comfort will do me some good." Forest green bedrolls took form in their hands and they spread them side-by-side in the corridor of light, clambering underneath the blankets as they did so. Despite the light that filled the corridor, which dimmed as if it knew their wishes, the two fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

Sora woke with a start three hours later when Kairi's hands suddenly started clutching him. He looked at her in surprise while his eyes tried to adjust to the light and could feel and hear that she was sobbing and shaking almost uncontrollably.

"Kairi?" he asked anxiously. "What is it?"

"I just had a horrible dream," Kairi replied, frantic. She snuggled her head further into the folds of his jacket and black shirt underneath his blankets while she continued to shake. "It was like a nightmare from which I would never wake."

"What happened?" Sora asked as he started rubbing her back to calm her down. Kairi gasped and looked at the arm rubbing her back, his left.

"You- you're arm," she choked. "It got cut off," Sora stopped few a brief second before he continued rubbing her back.

"It's okay," he said. "It was just a dream." Kairi shook her head and looked away from his arm into Sora's blue eyes. He looked at them strangely; they were filled with an unknown fear.

"No," Kairi said, her voice barely a whisper. "It didn't just get cut off… We were near the paopu tree and… _I_ was the one who cut off your arm." Sora stopped and looked at her in horror, understanding just how afraid she must be. He stopped rubbing her back and enveloped her in a hug.

"Oh Kairi," he cooed softly. "I'm sorry." She shook her head as she hugged him back while she started to calm down in his arms.

"I'm being silly," she berated herself as her breathing slowed to a steady pace, in rhythm with Sora's. "It's just a dream."

_But was it?_ she thought. It seemed a little bit more like a premonition than just a one-time nightmare. In any case, she couldn't allow herself to dwell on it. Not now. Kairi shook her head and stood up, leaving Sora's comforting embrace.

"Come on," she said, starting to roll up her bedroll. "We need to get to Pocahontas. Maybe she'll be able to stop them from killing John." Sora nodded and rolled up his own bedding before they both vanished the rolls. Sora looked at Kairi and they both nodded before sprinting off to the other end of the corridor. The portal opened and they exited outside of Grandmother Willow.

Pocahontas was sitting on the stump. Percy, the governor's dog, was near her and Flit was hovering near her head. Meeko was sitting next to Percy. Pocahontas' head was hung down low as she sat before Grandmother Willow, who was looking sympathetically at her.

"They're going to kill them at sunrise," Pocahontas said.

"You'll have to stop them," Grandmother Willow replied. Pocahontas shook her head.

"There's nothing I can do," she answered, her will breaking down. "I can't help him Grandmother Willow. I've followed the wrong path. I feel so lost." Meeko looked up and left her side to begin rummaging in Grandmother Willow's hollow. Kairi looked at Sora and he nodded.

"Well," Kairi said as they stepped forward. "You won't save him with _that_ attitude." Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow looked in pleasant surprise to see the two youths walking towards them.

"You're alive," Pocahontas remarked with wide eyes. Kairi nodded and Pocahontas' eyes suddenly changed into ones of fear. "Are you… unhurt?"

"If you mean 'did my people rape you like a whore'?" Kairi spat before looking at Pocahontas with a warm smile. "The answer's no. Sora and I convinced them that death would be a more suitable punishment for me." Meeko dropped down on a vine, holding something round in his hand.

"What's that?" Sora asked as Pocahontas took it.

"Compass," Pocahontas replied in remembrance, turning it around in her hands. Her eyes widened again. "Spinning arrow!"

"It's the arrow from your dream!" Kairi said. Pocahontas flung her face around to look at them as they came up beside her, a radiant smile on her face.

"I was right," she said in her elation. "It was pointing to him." A shaft of red light fell across her face and she turned her gaze to the east while the compass' point continued to spin wildly. "Sunrise."

"It's not too late child," Grandmother Willow urged. "Let the spirits of the earth guide you." The compass point stopped spinning and pointed directly east. "You know your path, now follow it!" Without further hesitation, Pocahontas leapt forward towards the rising sun, her speed outstripping even a deer's. Sora and Kairi chased after her. They would have been hard pressed to keep up even in the best of times, but tired as they were even with their small amount of rest forced them to slowly fall behind. Sora dimly registered them flying by trees, brambles, thickets, and even leaping off a cliff ledge in their haste to save John Smith from his grim fate. Sora looked up at the sound of drums and urged his legs that screamed in protest to go faster.

The whole Indian army and the hundred or so English settlers were drawn in two opposing lines on the sides of a jutting cliff. Radcliff was in front of his men wearing a full suit of black armor and Powhatan was standing on the edge of the cliff with his staff, the end of which was a large bulge to serve as a club, preparing to strike John's head as it lay against the cold stone.

"NO!" Pocahontas cried as she flung herself overtop of John. Both sides stopped in the confusion of their chance meeting. The English because they believed John would die if they attacked, the Indians because they were waiting for the first blow against their captured enemy to be struck. Sora and Kairi found themselves in the midst of the Indian mass and looked meekly at those around them, who were eyeing the two with an emotion that wasn't quite anger, but definitely without comprehension.

"Uh, hiya," Sora said, rubbing the back of his head.

"If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me too," Pocahontas said, drawing the attention to her.

"Daughter, stand back," Powhatan ordered of his child.

"I won't!" Pocahontas retorted. "I love him father." Powhatan and the others recoiled slightly in surprise. "Look around you!" Pocahontas continued. "This is where the path of hatred has brought us." She leaned her head closer to John's. "This is the path I choose father. What will yours be?" Powhatan closed his eyes as a wind began to blow around and through them all, whispering inaudible words of peace. Sora and Kairi made their way through the native army to stand near Powhatan, Pocahontas, and John. Powhatan glanced at Sora and Kairi in surprise and Sora nodded his head.

"You don't have to fight," Sora repeated. Powhatan looked down at the staff in his hands before raising it up before them all in defiance.

"My daughter speaks with wisdom beyond her years," he declared to both sides. "We have all come here with anger in our hearts. But she and her friends come with courage and understanding. If there is to be more killing," he let one hand fall from his staff and placed it club end down on the ground, "it will not start with me." He turned to one of his nearby warriors. "Release him." The warrior came forward and drew a knife to cut the bonds on John's wrists. With his arms free, John stood. Pocahontas ran forwards and embraced him in a loving hug while her father smiled behind them. Sora glanced down and away from the two lovers and saw Radcliff drawing a sword. He frowned and placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Something's up," he said. Without warning he sprinted down the hill towards the English, and more specifically, the governor.

"They let John go," Thomas said as Sora came within earshot.

"They don't want to fight," Ben agreed.

"It's a trick, don't you see?" Radcliff asked heatedly. "Fire!" All the men looked mutinously at him and Radcliff's grip slackened on his sword's hilt. He sheathed it and grabbed a nearby man's musket.

"Fine, I'll do it myself!" he said, taking aim. Sora ran up close enough before he could shoot Powhatan just as John jumped into the way of where the ball would go. The Oblivion appeared in his hands and he leapt up high, giving a battle cry to declare his presence to the governor. Radcliff looked up from where he was aiming and saw Sora's black blade cleave through the metal barrel of his musket just after he had fired. The men saw John hit the ground and looked at Radcliff with shock and anger.

"You shot him!" Thomas said.

"He, he jumped into it," Radcliff answered, his constitution shaky. "It's his own fault."

"Smith was right about you all along," Ben said angrily as they all converged on the governor.

"Quick get the gun!" Lon ordered as Thomas grabbed what remained of the musket and pulled it away from the governor.

"Put him in chains!" Thomas ordered. Radcliff's face was livid and seething red as he eyed Thomas and Sora.

"I'll see you hanged!" he spat.

"And gag him as well," Sora added. Quickly his gaze went skywards to the jutting cliff edge. John was up, and apparently unhurt.

"John!" Thomas yelled, running forward with Sora at his side. Smith looked at them both as they rushed back up the cliff.

"It's alright Thomas, Sora," he said as they approached them. "We're all okay. Thanks to Sora jerking Radcliff's aim at the last second, the bullet missed all of us." Sora and Thomas sighed in relief and Kairi came up to stand next to Sora.

"Good job," she said appraisingly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Sora laughed shakily.

"That was all touch-and-go for a moment there," he said. "Glad it worked and Radcliff didn't try to shoot me instead." Meeko and Percy came up the hill, carrying something between the two of them.

"What is it Percy?" Sora asked, getting down on his knees to take a look at the small dog. Percy smiled up at his face and yapped. The dog and Meeko came up to Pocahontas and backed away, revealing her blue necklace.

"My mother's necklace," Pocahontas said, reaching out a hand to grab it. She suddenly pulled her hand back as a light started to glow around her necklace and it rose into the sky. Sora and Kairi grinned at each other and Sora stepped forward as wind whipped around him and all went dark except for a three pointed crown pattern under his feet. A shaft of light shot out of the necklace and a large keyhole appeared in the sky. Sora leapt back and pointed the Oblivion at the keyhole. A beam of light radiated from his keyblade's tip and entered the keyhole, which in turn began spilling out light. The landscape returned and Sora looked at Kairi.

"Think you can lock onto the world and make us a portal to get there?" he asked. Kairi smiled slyly and crossed her arms over her hips.

"Am I one of the eight princesses of heart or not?" she asked rhetorically, a portal of light opening behind her. Sora chuckled and turned to look at Pocahontas, Powhatan, John, and Thomas.

"You two are always welcome among our people," Powhatan said. John nodded.

"You told me a little about your current adventures Sora," Thomas said, a gleam in his eyes. "Go get 'em." Kairi whistled and Sora turned.

"See you around," he called over his shoulder as he entered the portal. Ben ran up just as he was leaving and watched as Sora left. John, Thomas, and Powhatan looked at each other.

"We should keep our men training to fight, as allies this time," John said to the chief. "Somehow I have a feeling that we're all going to be dragged into this war eventually." Powhatan nodded and looked at his daughter.

"They told me that you knew of the creatures they fight Pocahontas," he said. "Can you help us?" Pocahontas glanced at John before looking at her father.

"Can I marry him?" she asked. Powhatan laughed.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were moving through the corridor of light, which they found, was much longer than ones Kairi generated for moving between places in a world. They had to walk only about ten minutes for the ones in the New World, while they had been walking for about a half an hour now and the exit portal was finally within another few minutes of walking. Kairi stopped and furrowed her brow as she looked at the exit. Sora stopped and glanced at her.

"Kairi?" he asked, looking between her and the exit. He gasped when he looked back at the exit portal. Two small comets of yellow light with red centers were streaking towards them. Sora and Kairi looked at them with interest before seeing that the comets were picking up speed.

"It doesn't look like they're stopping," Kairi said, bracing herself for impact. The comets crashed into the ground in front of their feet before Sora could respond and a rush of energy from the explosions pushed them back a few inches.

"What was that?" Sora asked as he opened his eyes again. He gave a shallow gasp as small rays of light shone upward from where the comets had crashed. Within the rays of light two small devices were started emerging. He glanced at Kairi and saw she was just as confused as he was. Sora reached forward and grabbed the device hovering in front of him and Kairi did the same for the one in front of her. Sora opened his hand and looked at it.

The device was white and had a somewhat rectangular body, looking as if the corners had been removed and the edges curved down. It curved upwards in the center around a small screen and there was a large purple button on the left side of the screen and two smaller ones on the right. A tiny black antenna also protruded from where the upper left corner had been. Sora glanced at Kairi.

"What are these?" she asked. Sora shrugged.

"Something we need for the next world?" he postulated, looking forward. "And if that's the case," he said, gripping the digital device in his right hand, "then we'd better hurry." Kairi nodded and they bolted off towards the exit.

They emerged in what looked like the middle of a baby's paradise. There were tall towers and large blocks all of giant, soft play blocks that had images of sweet images such as ducks, carrots, bunnies and kittens. Green trees with large, leafy boughs filled with small children's toys provided shade in an area not far away. All around them on the ground were hundreds of large eggs with stripes, circles, and blotches of various colours. Kairi knelt down and looked at one of the eggs.

"It's an egg," she said, stating the obvious. "But, I've never seen an egg like this." A rough voice began roaring through the air and they turned their heads in its direction.

"Nova Blast!" an explosion sounded only a second after that and the keyblade wielders nodded at each other and began running off towards the sound of the voice. They bypassed the eggs on the ground as they were ran through the baby village and noticed that they weren't only passing by eggs. They began to rush past stone basket-cradles that were each filled with a tiny creature of varying size, shape, and colour. Some were small little red ones with three points on the top of their round head, which seemed to be their whole body, and others were little white ones that looked kind of like jellyfish or ghosts, and another type was a small, white, hairy critter that had a blue patch in front of its face and two small blue antennae out of the sides of their heads. There were even more of a fourth type, a black ball like the first red one, except there were only two spikes atop of their heads that looked more like ears and they had soft yellow eyes. Sora and Kairi slowed down as they looked at the creatures while still continuing towards where the voice had come from.

"This is certainly unlike any other world I've been to," Sora said. "Even more so than the Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger too." Another explosion sounded and they both started dashing off through the village again. They passed by two more creatures that were sitting atop one of the soft blocks almost without sparing them a glance except to notice that one was blue and the other white.

"Hey Sora," the white one said as they passed.

"Hey Kairi," the blue one also said simultaneously in a female voice. Each of them sounded tired when they said it. The two teens kept running for another second before stopping dead in their tracks and turning to look at one another.

"Did they just say our names?" Kairi asked.

"Hey you two!" one of the creatures called. "Back here." They glanced at each other again before cautiously walking back to face the creatures. Both of them looked like bald heads, perfectly round except for the white one, where two ridges rested on the sides on its cheeks. The white one's eyes were green while the blue one, which was actually ice-blue, had brown eyes. Sora and Kairi looked down at them for a second before the creatures sighed and started shaking with their eyes closed.

"Hey, what is it?" Kairi asked anxiously, misinterpreting their shaking. The two creatures suddenly gave a cry and bounced forward into the startled teenagers' arms.

"You finally made it Sora!" the white one said excitedly from within Sora's arms.

"I can't believe you're really here Kairi," the blue one said, snuggling into Kairi's black shirt.

"Uh," Sora said in a confused and slightly freaked out voice. "I don't mean to be rude, but how exactly do you know us, and what are you guys?" The white head in his hands smiled.

"You don't need to be frightened of us," he said. "We're your friends."

"That's right," the blue head in Kairi's hands said. "We're your digimon partners." Kairi shared a slightly amused glance with Sora.

"Our _what_ partners?" she asked, looking down at the female head in her hands with a smile.

"Digimon," the one in Sora's hands said. "Digital Monsters." Sora looked down at him.

"Digital Monsters?" he asked. The head nodded.

"Uh-huh," he said with a smile. "My name's Ninquemon, Sora."

"And I'm Luinmon," the blue head said. "And we've been waiting a long time to meet you. Just like the others, but they already met their partners a while ago. You two were just late in showing up."

"Wait," Kairi said. "You've been waiting for us?" Luinmon nodded her head when they head a roar of pain coming from the same direction Sora and Kairi had been running in.

"Uh-oh," Ninquemon said, shifting around to look in that direction. "Looks like trouble." Sora and Kairi nodded and ran forward, holding Ninquemon and Luinmon closely to their sides. "I hope it isn't those black gears again," Ninquemon said. Sora glanced down at Ninquemon as he ran.

"Black gears?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Ninquemon replied angrily. "They've been turning good digimon into bad digimon. Those digimon then started attacking us and the others. But every time the others have managed to beat the bad digimon and destroy the black gears that were controlling them."

"Others?" Kairi asked as they ran out of village. They stopped as they saw a large orange tyrannosaur with blue stripes and a brown upper head with spikes emerging from the tip of its nose and the rear of each side of its head crashing into a squishy block at the edge of the village.

"Oh no!" Luinmon yelled from Kairi's arms. "Greymon!"

"No! We need you Greymon!" Sora and Kairi looked away from the dinosaur digimon and saw a kid with a lot of messy brown hair wearing a blue shirt with a yellow collar, brown shorts, white gloves, white sneakers, and circular goggles over a blue headband running towards the fallen digimon. The boy stopped and looked at them in surprise for a second.

"Who are you guys?" he asked. Sora and Kairi heard a scream and looked at the boy. Ninquemon and Luinmon grimaced.

"We can introduce them later Tai!" Ninquemon yelled. "What's happening?" Tai looked down at Ninquemon and Luinmon in surprise for a second before grinning to himself.

"Leomon and Ogremon are here," he said. "And Leomon's been hit by a whole bunch of black gears." Sora and Kairi nodded and ran past the boy with Ninquemon and Luinmon under their arms.

A giant lion man with sickly purple skin and a black mane wearing black pants with a short sword's sheath horizontal across the belt was advancing towards a small boy wearing green with a large green hat. A small orange digimon with a white underbelly that looked like an overgrown hamster with bat wings on the sides of its head rose into the air beside the boy in defiance of the larger creature approaching them.

"Boom Bubble!" he cried, puffing up like a balloon. He released his pent up air and the projectile of pressurized air struck the lion man, not even causing him to slow down. The lion man grasped the flying hamster in his right hand and raised the left, which held his sword.

"Patamon," the boy said fearfully as the small digimon struggled in Leomon's grasp. Sora and Kairi ran faster and wound around the large digimon's legs to stand protectively in front of the boy, their keyblades springing into existence in their hands.

"Back off," Sora growled. "Picking on little kids, what kind of creature do you think you are?" The small boy looked at the two teenagers standing in front of him with awe.

"T.K.!" a golden haired boy yelled. He was kneeling next to a large white wolf with blue stripes, covered in rocky debris from a cliff. "Run T.K.! Get out of here!"

"My master has instructed me to take the digidestined," Leomon growled, moving to strike Sora and Kairi with his sword. "If you stand to protect the digidestined, then I must take you as well." Ninquemon and Luinmon leapt out of Sora and Kairi's arms without warning towards the towering figure of Leomon, who was just as gigantic as Greymon. They each drew in deep breaths, and pink bubbles flew out of their mouths at Leomon. The bubbles served to do even less than Patamon's Boom Bubble and Leomon whacked the two tiny digimon aside.

"Ninquemon!" Sora cried, rushing towards his fallen friend as his keyblade vanished. Kairi was by his side, hurrying to get to Luinmon. Sora reached the little white head and picked him up. "Ninquemon, say something."

"I'm sorry," he replied in a tiny voice. "I guess I was just trying to make a good impression."

"Crazy guy," Sora replied. "But I'm impressed. I never would have thought someone as small as you would be so valiant." Ninquemon smiled.

"He was going to attack you," he said. "I couldn't just sit back and watch."

"Wanna fight?" someone yelled. "How 'bout a prickly, big sandwich?" Sora and Ninquemon looked back at Leomon and saw a giant cactus that had two arms and legs with holes for eyes and a mouth in its body, and boxing gloves on its hands come crashing down into Leomon, causing him to release Patamon and stumble away. The golden haired kid who seemed to be about Tai's age ran up. He was wearing a green shirt and blue jeans, and his golden haired was also messy and spiked up, though not to the degree of messiness Tai's was.

"Whoa, Togemon!" he said in surprise. T.K. rushed up to Patamon and hugged him. The golden-haired kid came up to Sora and Kairi and looked at them.

"So you guys are Ninquemon and Luinmon's partners then?" he asked. They nodded and he extended his hand. "Name's Yamato Ishida, but you can call me Matt." Sora smiled and shook his hand as he stood up, finding that he and Kairi were at least eight inches taller than him.

"Well it's nice to meet you Matt," Sora said as Kairi started to shake his hand. "I'm Sora, and this is Kairi." Matt looked at him in interest.

"What? No last names?" he asked. Sora shrugged.

"Nope, we've never had last names," he replied. Matt placed a hand to his head and smiled to the heavens.

"Then that's going to be a bit of a problem," he said. "Because we already have a Sora, and she's going to flip if we start calling her by Sora #1." Kairi giggled slightly and they stopped, hearing the buzzing of giant insect wings. Sora looked up and saw a giant blue insect with a grey horned head and a red mouth, carrying two people, fly down near where Tai was standing and Greymon was starting to get up. Sora started to move towards them but Matt reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's Leomon," he said, his voice changed from light conversation into a growl. "He's getting back up." Sora followed his gaze and saw the great lion man starting to move back to T.K. Matt suddenly leapt forward towards the small child and Sora and Kairi hesitated for a moment before groaning and following him. They outstripped Matt on his way over to T.K. and stood protectively in front of the small child as Matt came up behind them.

"Don't worry T.K.," Matt said. "We've got you covered." Leomon advanced towards them and the Oblivion returned to Sora's hand as the Oathkeeper appeared in Kairi's.

"Whoa," T.K. said in awe. "What are those?" Sora exchanged a grin with his girlfriend and looked back at T.K.

"Like we told Tai," he said. "Introductions later."

"Ready for a real fight?" Leomon stopped and looked to his left. Sora and Kairi looked away from Leomon and saw Tai walking calmly towards them all. "What are you waiting for booger breath?" Tai taunted. "Come and get us if you dare."

"Have you completely lost it?" Matt asked Tai exasperatedly. Sora growled at Tai's boldness, but also couldn't help feeling a little bit of respect towards the goggle-headed kid. Tai moved unflinchingly towards Leomon, when he suddenly stopped as around twenty small black swirls appeared around him. Out of the swirls small shadow heartless appeared, their arrival causing Tai to flinch as he stopped and looked at them.

"What kind of digimon are these?" he asked aloud.

"They aren't digimon!" Sora yelled, dashing past Leomon's right side while Kairi moved past the left. "They're heartless." He swung the Oblivion through one of the shadows in his path and it vanished in a puff of black smoke. Two shadows advanced in behind Tai, catching him unawares. Tai gasped as the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper spun through the heartless about to strike his back. Sora and Kairi smiled, having saved the younger kid from losing his heart.

"Watch out!" Ninquemon yelled suddenly from Sora's arm, looking behind the boy. Sora turned and saw shadows mere moments from attacking him and Kairi, and their keyblades were still out of their hands. A white light suddenly started to glow around Ninquemon and Luinmon and the white devices that Sora had clipped to his belt loop and Kairi to her skirt started screaming wildly. They dropped the two small digimon as they felt a surge of raw energy flow through them.

"Ninquemon digivolve to, Aiwemon."

"Luinmon digivolve to, Menelmon."

Sora and Kairi gaped forward in awe. Where Ninquemon and Luinmon had stood there were now two small birds, flapping their wings as they hovered a few feet in the air above the heartless. The bird where Ninquemon had been was hawk-like, with a yellow beak, swept-back wings, and yellow feet with black talons. The tips of his brown feathers on his wings were white and the down on his head was also white. The bird where Luinmon had been had a snow-white beak, light blue wings, and yellow feet. The two birds rose higher into the air.

"You will not harm Sora," the brown one said in a voice that resembled Ninquemon's but was also a little deeper. His eyes started to glow a violent electric blue. "Keen Sight!" Two rays of blue light shot out of his eyes and impaled a shadow heartless, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.

"Don't worry Kairi," the blue bird said in the same voice as Luinmon as snow started to swirl around her white beak. "I'll protect you. Snow Slurry!" The snow swirled out from her beak as a great mass and stuck into several heartless, taking them out in dark smoke. The Oathkeeper and Oblivion reappeared in Kairi and Sora's hands and Sora looked at Tai.

"Go!" he ordered. "Do whatever you were going to do. We'll handle the heartless." Tai nodded shakily and ran past the heartless towards Leomon. Sora looked at the brown bird flanking him and he spotted his eyes, the exact shade of green that Ninquemon's eyes were. Something else also registered with Sora about this bird, it was the same one he had seen in the image on his platform. He turned his head to look at the dozen or so remaining heartless and charged forward with the bird digimon at his side.

"Steel Talons!" he yelled, screeching down on two of the heartless and tearing them to pieces as Sora ignited his keyblade with a fire spell and quickly cleaved through another three. The blue bird next to Kairi began beating her wings even harder as Kairi also charged forward.

"Ice Feathers!" she cried. Blue feathers detached themselves from her as she beat her wings and shot out towards several heartless, their tips laced with ice. The feathers impaled the heartless and caused them to vanish in puffs of smoke.

"Pretty cool," Kairi said as she passed her blade through a shadow. She pointed the Oathkeeper's tip at the few remaining heartless. "Blizzaga!" A large icicle came down from the sky and dropped onto the heartless, killing them instantly. Tai ran up to Leomon and placed the small digital device he was holding in his hand up as far as he could reach on the monster's chest. A brilliant white light began radiating out of the device and Leomon began howling in pain and Matt looked at the one he was holding in his hands.

"These things pack quite a punch," he said, running forward and placing his in front of Leomon as well. Small black objects started emerging from out of Leomon's back and Kairi gasped.

"Look, black gears are coming out of him," she said, dashing up to Leomon as well and placing her left palm towards the digimon. "Light!" A bright light came from Kairi's hand and added towards the painful healing that they were inflicting upon Leomon. The black gears left him and broke apart in the air. Leomon stopped howling as the lights stopped shining and he started to shrink, his skin turning into a tanned flesh colour and his mane returning to a yellow state. Leomon dropped to his knees in front of them.

"We're safe now," T.K. said. "We destroyed the black gear. Leomon's back to his normal self again."

"Uh-oh." Sora and Kairi looked behind them and saw a green digimon standing on two legs, which really did look like a kind of ogre. White horns and spikes protruded from his face and shoulders and his pointed face was contorted in anger. "Now you kids have done it," Ogremon said.

"You've only just begun to see our power," the large blue insect digimon replied as he took to the sky again. He curled up in the air a large ball of electricity formed in front of him. "Electro Shocker!" The ball shot forward towards Ogremon, who leapt out of the way at the last second. Ogremon began running away and the insectoid digimon let him escape, coming back down to the ground near Leomon. The large cactus digimon and the giant wolf, which had gotten himself out of the cliff debris he had crashed into, also came over along with two more kids. One was a shorter boy with red hair wearing an orange shirt and the other was a brunette girl wearing a large pink hat and a red dress with a brown bag over her shoulder.

"Leomon's okay now then?" the girl asked before looking curiously at Sora and Kairi. "Who are you two?" she asked. "And where are Ninquemon and Luinmon?"

"Can't you tell Mimi?" the blue bird flying next to Kairi asked. "These are our partners. They just took a little while longer to get here than you guys did." The red-headed boy looked at them happily.

"So you've digivolved then," he said excitedly. Sora scratched his head.

"Wait," he said, confused. "Back up a sec here." He looked at the bird flying next to him. "Ninquemon?" he asked. The bird smiled and shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "I'm Aiwemon now. I digivolved to protect you Sora."

"And I'm Menelmon," Kairi's digimon added. Tai and the others laughed at the confused looks on Sora and Kairi's faces.

"It's called digivolving," the red head explained. "That's when a digimon evolves to their next level of power. Gaining new abilities and strengths, and a new form." Sora looked at Aiwemon.

"So you're still Ninquemon then," he said. Aiwemon nodded as he landed.

"Yep. My In-Training form is Ninquemon. But at my Rookie level I'm Aiwemon. Just as Koromon becomes Agumon and then Greymon at the Champion level."

"Did somebody say my name?" asked the large dinosaur digimon as he lumbered towards them. A yellow light surrounded all of the digimon except for Patamon, Leomon, Aiwemon, and Menelmon and they all shrunk to become different digimon. Where Greymon had stood was now a small yellow tyrannosaur, and where the giant insect had been a red beetle type digimon was. A green walking plant with a purple flower on her head was where Togemon was and a dog with a yellow horn and a coat of blue striped white fur over a yellow hide was where the wolf had been.

"Okay, time for introductions to the gang," Tai said aloud, clapping his hand together before extending one to Sora and Kairi. "Hi. My name's Taichi Kamiya. But you can call me Tai." The small yellow dinosaur walked up to them as Sora and Kairi each shook Tai's hand.

"And I'm his partner, Agumon," he said. Sora and Kairi smiled and looked at the others.

"You already know me," Matt said. "So no autographs, please." Matt placed his hand on T.K.'s green hat, hiding the small boy's blonde hair. "And this is my little brother Takeru Takaishi, but since Takeru was a little hard to pronounce when he started talking, we call him T.K."

"Aw gee, thanks for embarrassing me Matt," T.K. whined. They all laughed quietly to themselves as the horned dog digimon approached them.

"And I'm Matt's partner," he said. "My name's Gabumon, pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Patamon!" the little rookie hailed from atop T.K.'s hat covered head. The girl in the red dress and pink hat came over to them along with the plant digimon.

"Hi, my name's Mimi Tachikawa," she said, extending her hand to Kairi. "I hope we're all going to be great friends, especially since this gives myself and Sora a little more leverage over the guys."

"And I'm Palmon," her digimon said. The female digimon looked kindly up at Kairi as Menelmon dropped to perch herself on Kairi's shoulder. Kairi looked over at Sora and winked.

"A little more leverage with Sora over the guys eh?" she said. Sora and Matt laughed and Mimi frowned.

"I don't get it," she pouted. "What's so funny?"

"It's just that," Sora began, recovering from his bout, "my name is also Sora." Mimi looked back in slight shock and the red headed boy stepped up to him.

"Well then Sora, allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I'm Koushiro Izumi, but you can call me Izzy."

"And don't forget me," the red bug digimon next to him said. "My name's Tentomon, pleased to make your acquaintance." Sora bent down and shook the rookie's extended arm.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Kairi said warmly. "I'm Kairi and this is, well, you've already heard his name, but in any case this is my boyfriend Sora." He looked up from Tentomon and they shared a smile in front of the others.

"That's cool," Tai said, nudging his nose with his thumb. "You seem alright Kairi, for a girl anyway."

"Tai, how old are you guys?" Sora asked.

"Well we're all twelve," Matt answered. "Except for T.K., he's only eight."

"And Joe's the oldest out of all of the seven of us," Mimi added. "He's thirteen."

"Well Kairi and I beat you all there," Sora said with a smirk. "She's sixteen and I'm still fifteen, until just over a month from now that is."

"Wow," T.K. said. "No wonder you're both so tall." Sora and Kairi laughed at his comment and Leomon, who had been standing on the sidelines, addressed them.

"I have something to tell you all," he announced. "Follow me. I want a good spot to tell you." They all fell in behind Leomon, and Sora found himself waking along with Tai, Matt, T.K., and Izzy.

"So Sora," Matt was saying. "What was that weapon that appeared in your hand?"

"Yeah, and Kairi had the same thing," Tai added. "What were they?" Sora grinned and extended his right hand as he walked, and the Oblivion made its appearance in a sparkling shimmer.

"What is it?" Tentomon asked.

"It seems to be some kind of sword," Izzy said before Sora could explain. The older boy laughed slightly at Izzy's obvious statement.

"What are you?" he asked humorously, noticing the laptop computer Izzy was carrying on his back. "Some kind of twelve year old whiz kid?"

"Actually yeah," Izzy replied. Sora grinned and twirled the Oblivion around his fingers.

"It's called a keyblade," he explained. "I am the chosen master of the keyblade, and as such, it is my task to fight the heartless across all the worlds and stop evil forces."

"So how come Kairi has a keyblade then?" Gabumon asked.

"Because a keyblade chose her," Sora answered. "There is more than one keyblade, and probably more than one type of mystical weapon. Keyblades choose their wielders, and only those with strong hearts can wield one. But I tell you, being the master of the keyblade and having the fate of all the worlds on your shoulders is not an easy burden." Sora released the Oblivion and placed his head in one hand. "You're out fighting evil, and you always know before you enter every battle that it might be your last. Death hangs over you like a shadow, and every time you make it out alive you wonder just how long your luck will hold out." Sora glanced back at Kairi.

"That's how it's like when you're fighting without your friends," he said. "When you're together, it's a whole new blitz game, and you feel as if nothing can stop you as long as your friends stand united with you. It's a good thing Kairi's such a good friend and girlfriend to go out and fight with me." He placed his hands behind his back as they continued walking and a cheesy grin appeared on his face. "But then again, when a princess has been denied you for a year and you finally hook up after you return, she'll get what she wants." He glanced back at Kairi again. "And she can be feisty in a battle at times." He looked back at the boys, whose mouths were gaping at him in awe.

"Kairi's a princess?" Agumon asked, glancing back at her. He and Gabumon looked at each other and nodded before dashing back to where Kairi and Mimi were walking.

Kairi found herself waking next to Mimi and Palmon with Menelmon walking on the ground with them.

"So you're dating?" Mimi asked excitedly, her eyes becoming glittery as she looked at Kairi. The older girl nodded and Mimi sighed dreamily. "Oh, I wanted the cute one," she said aloud. Kairi simply grinned and leant her mouth close to Mimi's ear.

"I think Matt's free," she whispered slyly. Mimi looked up at her.

"Really?" she asked. Kairi nodded.

"Go for it," she said, "or you'll never know. Same thing with me and Sora. We each had our eyes on the other for what seemed like ages but I never knew how he felt about me until he came out and said it." She suddenly stopped as Agumon and Gabumon came in front of her and bowed their heads, each dropping to one knee.

"We will protect you with our lives princess," Gabumon said.

"You won't be harmed as long as we're around," Agumon added.

"Hey guys!" Tai yelled from up front. "Quit fooling around."

"She's a princess Tai," Gabumon hollered back. "Show some respect." Kairi blushed slightly at the two rookies' behaviour and Mimi looked at Kairi.

"You're a princess," she asked. Kairi nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "Princess of the Radiant Garden." Mimi cocked her head to the side in a confused way.

"The Radiant Garden?" she asked. "I've never heard of that country."

"No it isn't another country," Kairi answered. "Another world."

"Come on over here!" Leomon ordered, sitting cross-legged under a large and leafy tree. Mimi looked up from Kairi and they all sat down in a semi-circle around Leomon. He looked grimly at them all and began speaking.

"According to ancient legend, our world will be overtaken by a strange dark force that will turn good digimon into bad ones," he said. "Our ancestors have predicted that a group of children, called the digidestined, will appear from another world. When they arrive they will come to posses super powers that will eventually save our world from destruction. I believe that their prediction has come true. File Island has been seized by an evil power. We're in danger of destruction and now, you've appeared."

"Whoa that's amazing," Tai said from the center. "But tell me, how can you be sure that we're the kids you're talking about?"

"Yeah," Matt added. "Do you have some proof that we're the same ones?"

"It's been foretold that the digidestined have the ability to make digimon digivolve," Leomon said. "You've done that, and it's all the proof I need."

"I for one hope that it's true," Izzy said. "My theory is that we'll be released once we've saved the Island. Once our purpose is served, there's no other reason for us to remain."

"And I'll finally be able to change these clothes," Mimi said excitedly. Izzy looked at her.

"That's right," he said. "If Leomon's information is correct then we'll be heading straight for home."

"I can't wait." Mimi replied.

"How can we make it happen?" Matt asked, looking up at a tall mountain on another Island not far away. "We're not even sure who's causing it. What if it's a force too big for us to handle?"

"Nothing's too big to handle," Sora replied, looking directly at Matt. "If you don't try to take it down then it is. But as soon as you try you'll always come through in the end." Tai and Kairi nodded along with the digimon.

"You see," Leomon said, looking up at Infinity Mountain along with the others, "Devimon is the main cause of all this evil. To save the Island you'll have to defeat him." Tai stood up.

"Let's go for it," he said. Sora and Kairi leapt up to join him with Aiwemon and Menelmon at their sides while the others all expressed motives of uncertainty. "Come on everyone why not?" Tai asked. "If we don't defeat him it'll never be over." Izzy stood and looked at Tai with conformation.

"Fine with me," he said. "Besides it's impossible for us to lose with the digivices." Mimi stood and looked at the four that were standing.

"First thing on my list," she said hopefully, "when I get home: is to do some killer shopping." Palmon raised one of her vine-fingered hands to Mimi's back.

"For that to happen we have to get you back home," she said.

"If we all work together we're sure to win," Tentomon said. "Especially with Sora and Kairi here as well. Now we'll have more to bring to the fight against Devimon."

"I'm ready anytime you are buddy," Agumon said, standing up next to Tai.

"How about it Matt?" Gabumon asked. "Are we up to the challenge my friend?" Matt looked grimly at his shoes.

"It's going to be tough," he said. "When you get down to it, we have no other choice."

"Don't worry Sora," Aiwemon said as he perched himself on the second eldest digidestined shoulder. "I'll do my best to not disappoint you." Sora smiled at the rookie.

"Take it easy there Aiwemon," he said. "Just don't overdo yourself. This guy will probably be a cakewalk compared to some of the other foes I've fought since the keyblade came to me. Xemnas, now he was tough."

"And we're fighting even more powerful ones now," Kairi said. "But heartless are here and they attacked us. I wouldn't count out Maleficent. And if she's met Devimon, then she may have implanted some of her power within him too."

"Are you talking about the green sorceress with the horns on the sides of her head?" Leomon asked. Sora and Kairi looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, you know her?" Sora asked. Leomon nodded his head.

"When Devimon had me under his spell with the black gears and he had found the shadows we met a witch of frightening power on the Peak of Infinity Mountain," he said. "She called him an unusual creature, and told him that he may use her heartless. And that if two keyblade-wielding teens arrived he was to have them destroyed."

"Yep," Kairi sighed. "That's Maleficent."

"At least she didn't bring Nixion along to fight us," Sora said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What are you two talking about?" Matt asked.

"Maleficent is a witch of phenomenal dark power," Kairi said. "She commands an army of hundreds of thousands of heartless and nobodies. And she has allied herself with some of the darkest and most despicable creatures ever to walk the face of the worlds."

"And her minions have gained in power as well," Sora said. "One in particular, by the name of Nixion. When I last fought him I basically got my ass handed to me on a silver platter."

"Sounds bad Sora," Tai said. He placed a hand to his chin and frowned. "You know, it just doesn't sound right calling you Sora. We already have Sora Takenouchi, and she won't like being called Sora number one."

"Hey I've got it," Matt said. "Since you're the master of the keyblade, how about we nickname you 'Keys'." Sora shrugged.

"Whatever you want to call me to avoid confusion is up to you," he said.

"Don't worry Keys," Kairi said with a smile. "I'll still call you Sora." She looked up at Infinity Mountain in the distance.

"Alright troops," Leomon said, standing up, "let's get to it."

* * *

_Yes, the Digital World. Starting at episode 13 of Digimon Adventures Season 1, episode title: The Legend of the Digidestined. Remember back when the show came out here in North America in 2000 on Fox Kids? If you don't it doesn't matter, just go onto YouTube and watch it from Jcasta1314 and Sebolains. I personally prefer normal Japanese anime with English subs, but only for digimon and FMA will I drop into English dubbed._

_Happy Halloween!_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	32. Battle against Devimon

_For the portion of time that they stay in the digital world, Sora shall be referred to mainly as 'Keys' just to avoid confusion. After all, I did give him the nickname._

_I'm taking a lot of creative license with the battle here compared to the show._

_Disclaimer: Haven't I gone over this?

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXII: Battle against Devimon

Keys prepared to move out with the rest of the digidestined as Leomon stood up, when he stopped as his stomach gave an audible grumble. Tai and the others looked at him humourously while Kairi placed a hand to her own chest, evidently giving her silently protests. Keys rubbed the back of his head, careful not to upset Aiwemon perched on his shoulder, and smiled to himself while his closed eyes would have been looking at Infinity Mountain.

"Uh, before we go guys," he asked aloud, "how about something to eat? Kairi and I were kinda forced to skip breakfast this morning, and climbing a mountain on empty stomachs isn't a good idea." Tai and the other digidestined smiled slightly in agreement.

"Sure," Tai said. "It would do us all good anyway."

"And it would give us a chance to get to know you and Princess Kairi better," Gabumon added, already padding his way back to the shade of the tree. Kairi shook her head slightly and smiled to herself.

"Please Gabumon," she said. "Just call me Kairi. I don't need digimon giving me the royal treatment."

"What's your castle like?" Mimi asked, coming forward to sit next to Kairi while her eyes sparkled with her own imagining. "Do you have like, hundreds of servants who wait on you hand and foot? Oh, I wish I were a princess." She opened her bag as she was talking and handed Kairi an apple.

"I expect so," Kairi replied before taking a bite out of the apple. Menelmon fluttered off of Kairi's shoulder and landed on the ground near her as the other digidestined and digimon assembled. The bird digimon grabbed a piece of fruit in her wings and sat down, nibbling on it.

"What do you mean by that Kairi?" Agumon asked, sitting down and grabbing a piece of fruit too.

"I can't remember much," Kairi answered. "I haven't been in the Radiant Garden for more than a few days since I was six, and Ansem the Wise erased my memories of the time I spent there."

"So where have you been living for ten years?" Menelmon asked in a concerned tone, looking up from her food. "And how did you guys get here?" Kairi smiled and rubbed the little rookie's head with her free hand.

"We got here through a portal of light I made," Kairi said, waving her hand. A swirling vortex of her light appeared nearby and all heads turned to look at it in wonder, apart from Kairi's and Keys'.

"That's astounding," Leomon said. "I never knew the digidestined would have other powers."

"Where does it go?" Palmon asked, moving towards the portal. Kairi smiled and looked at the plant digimon.

"It won't take you very far away," Kairi said. "I set the exit for that portal to be right in the middle of that patch of multi-coloured eggs we walked into."

"You mean digieggs," T.K. said.

"Digieggs?" Keys asked, looking inquiringly at the smallest boy while he prepared to bite into a piece of fruit and the portal vanished before Palmon could wander into it.

"Well sure," Patamon said. "All digimon are born from a digiegg. That's how we start our lives. And almost every digiegg is in Primary Village, where we just were."

"Elecmon protects the digieggs and baby digimon," T.K. added with a sincere smile. "When he found us he thought we were going to hurt his babies and attacked us. He and Patamon got into a real fight but I told them to stop and play tug-of-war so that they wouldn't hurt or frighten the baby digimon, and guess what?"

"No, what?" Keys asked, humouring the boy with a smile. Mimi and Kairi giggled slightly.

"Patamon won!" T.K. announced happily.

"Yay!" the small orange digimon exclaimed, holding his two front paws aloft in the air in signs of victory. "I'm the king of tug-of-war!"

"I bet I could take you," Aiwemon said matter-of-factly. Patamon looked accusingly at him.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Consider it a blemish on your perfect record," Aiwemon retorted calmly. Patamon took to the air with his two little wings and Aiwemon rose to challenge him, each of them glaring at the other in the air. Keys noticed that Aiwemon was actually just a little bit bigger than the flying hamster.

"What was that you little chicken?" Patamon growled.

"Did you say something pork chop?" Aiwemon retaliated.

"I'm not a pig, feather brain!"

"I ought to shred you to pieces porker!" The others laughed, considering this behaviour almost normal among the digimon.

"Man," Matt muttered. "Those two are just like Joe and Gomamon."

"You think you're good enough turkey?" Patamon growled.

"I'll show you who the turkey is you little ham!"

"Hey," Keys said quietly, moving to break up the two digimon who were circling each other in the air, Aiwemon's green eyes starting to glow blue. "You can tug-of-war all you want _after_ Devimon."

"Anyway," Kairi said as the two landed and began eating again, their match momentarily forgotten. "That's how we got here. So what about you guys?"

"Well," Tai began. "We were all at summer camp when it suddenly began snowing; in the middle of July even."

"July?" Kairi interrupted. "But Sora was still fighting the Organization and I was still kidnapped by them in July. It's September right now."

"Well maybe for us it's September," Keys said while Izzy looked at them in confusion. "But for them it's July. Remember that time can work differently in other worlds."

"That's a logical explanation," Izzy commented.

"Anyway," Mimi said. "We were all at camp when it snowed. Then this pretty aurora appeared in the sky and bright comets came out of the sky and pummeled the ground near us. In them were our digivices." She moved her bag so they could see her device clipped to its strap.

"And then this weird tidal wave came over us," Matt said. "And the next thing we knew, we were here, with our digimon partners and Ninquemon and Luinmon just hanging around waiting for you two."

"And you certainly took your time," Menelmon said, looking up from her fruit again, having not even budged when Aiwemon and Patamon were fighting. "Where have you two been? And you still didn't answer me when I asked where you were for ten years since you left your homeworld." Kairi looked down at Menelmon.

"I've been on the Destiny Islands," she said before looking up at Keys with her smile. "Sora's homeworld and it's become my home." Her voice dropped and her smile drooped off of her face. Keys' face hardened and he looked down, his spiked hair seeming to droop and concealing his darkened expression. Aiwemon looked up at the boy from the ground with his green eyes.

"Sora," he asked, "what's wrong?" Keys looked into the green of his partner's eyes, startled at just how much they resembled his father's, and looked away.

"Maleficent," he spat. "That's what." Matt looked uneasily between the Keys and Kairi, not quite understanding what he was saying. Keys was clenching and unclenching his fists, his black keyblade appearing and vanishing between each cycle. Kairi took a vicious bite out of her apple and looked back at it in loathing, and sadness.

"Kairi?" Mimi asked uncertainly.

"I'm going to kill her for that," Kairi growled. She looked up at Keys and looked him in the eye, despite his spikes. "You killed her last time Sora, while my heart dwelled within yours. I'll kill her this time, for what she's done to us."

"For our shattered lives," Keys agreed, nodding his head.

"Something really bad must have happened then," Tentomon said in a slightly fearful voice. "Oh, I'm getting shivers just wondering."

"It couldn't be worse than turning good digimon into bad digimon," Izzy said, though his voice had lost its usual confidence. "Could it?" Keys snorted through a bite of a banana he had taken.

"Those black gears are tame compared to her," he said. "Maleficent had our home destroyed, and my mother and Kairi's adoptive parents killed." Tai and the others looked at them in shock before looking away, not wanting to look at either Keys or Kairi to intrude on their grief.

"Wow," Matt managed to mutter after a minute. "She's vile. You guys are off worse than Teeks and me." Kairi looked at him while Keys kept his gaze shifted away. Matt changed his gaze so he was looking at Kairi, not in her eyes though. "Our parents are divorced," Matt explained. "I live with our dad, and T.K. lives with our mom."

"It can get pretty lonely sometimes," T.K. said, looking down and hugging Patamon.

"My parents are really my adoptive parents," Izzy said, his voice also downcast. "They don't know that I know though. I should tell them, and how much I love them." Tai suddenly choked and placed his head in his hands, sobbing quietly.

"Whoa dude," Matt said anxiously as he looked at Tai. "Are you alright?"

"Tai?" Agumon asked, raising a clawed hand to the leader's back.

"Yeah," he replied, though his current position clearly expressed that he wasn't. "It's just that, I almost lost my little sister once okay!" They all looked sadly at him in interest.

"You're sister?" Agumon asked. Tai shakily nodded his head.

"And it was because of me," he sobbed. "Kari almost died because of me. It was when she was four or five, just a little kid. She had stayed home from kindergarten one day because she was sick. I mean, I knew she was sick but all I could think about on the way home was playing soccer. I wanted to go out and play but I didn't want to leave her at home alone, so I took her outside with me. She seemed okay, really she did! I showed her a kick and then asked her to kick it back to me like I showed her, but she didn't get it right. So after I went to get the ball I looked back and she was on the ground, passed out."

"She ended up with pneumonia or something," Tai continued, his voice breaking up even further as they were all looking at him. "She almost didn't make it. But what really kills me is what she said when they brought her home from the hospital. The first words out of her mouth were, 'Tai, I'm sorry I can't kick the ball very good. You'll probably never want to play with me again.' That's Kari, she almost never cares about herself it's always about the other kids. Never about her feelings, always about how others feel."

"It's because she cares Tai," Kairi said weakly, stunned by just how emotional Tai was getting and feeling as if their pains were almost nothing, "and loves unconditionally."

"Love is precious," Keys said with a slight choke in his voice. "I should have told my mom just how much she meant to me more often." He buried his head in his hands and Kairi rose and walked towards him, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him.

"Keys," Tai muttered quietly, looking around at those around him. If this great teenager, the master of the keyblade (or so he said), could be brought to his knees like this, then it proved to them just how cruel his enemies must be.

"We'll get through this Sora," Kairi said quietly. "We have to. Remember the last thing your mother said to us?" Keys nodded as he dropped his hands to reveal puffy red eyes.

"Yeah," he said in a ragged breath. "She said, 'Go, save the worlds. Make us proud.'" Keys gripped his silver crown pendant in his right hand, so tightly that he almost started to draw blood. "And we will mom," Keys continued to himself in determination, "we will. We're not superheroes, we're humans. Just insignificant humans in the great circle of life, but we can make a difference. We will make a difference!" Keys stood up, a fire burning within his sapphire eyes as he wiped the tears that stained his face away.

"I'm ready," he growled at Tai, noticing that the other boy had managed to pull himself together as well. "Let's get this Devimon, and put an end to his tyranny and malice so you all can go home." Aiwemon flapped his wings and landed on Keys' shoulder.

"I'm with you Sora," he said in determination. Keys stopped and looked kindly at the little rookie.

"I like your eyes Aiwemon," he said in quiet admiration.

"All right let's go," Tai said, standing up with Agumon. "We won't get anywhere just sitting here." Leomon rose and nodded his head.

"If you're all prepared let's get to it," he said gruffly. "I have a boat ready to take us all to the center island where Infinity Mountain lies. Ever since Devimon broke up the island it's been difficult to get around." Those who had remained sitting stood and silently followed Leomon to the edge of the island. Keys stopped and looked at the wooden rowboat, looked at Leomon, and looked at the party of digidestined and digimon.

"We're not all going to fit," he said, gesturing with his hands at the wooden craft, which appeared to be able to hold a maximum of nine or ten, including Leomon who was already getting himself set at the rudder with an oar. Kairi sighed and shook her head lightly in one hand.

"Get out the dust then Sora," she said. Keys nodded and the box appeared in his right hand while the others looked curiously at them.

"What are you guys doing?" Tai asked. Keys simply smirked and sprinkled a small amount of the golden dust overtop of himself and Kairi. The box vanished from his hand and he looked pointedly at the other digidestined.

"Get in," he said calmly, jerking his head towards the boat. Matt and Gabumon were the first to move forward, glancing without comprehension at Keys and Kairi as they passed. Aiwemon looked curiously at Keys while the others filed into the boat.

"Sora?" he asked. "What are you and Kairi going to do?" Kairi smirked and placed a hand on the little rookie's head while Keys chuckled quietly to himself. Menelmon fluttered off of Kairi's shoulder and landed next to him.

"You'll see what they mean," she said knowingly with a smile, having already been told by Kairi what was going to happen. Aiwemon looked funnily at her, still left in the dark, and turned his head as Leomon shoved the boat off. Keys nodded at Kairi while the other digidestined kids and digimon looked anxiously at the pair. Aiwemon gasped from the ground as Keys' feet started skimming the earth, the toes of his black shoes barely touching the top of the grass. Aiwemon beat his wings and propelled himself into the air after his partner as Menelmon did the same, giggling at him while swooping past Kairi and banking around to follow her. Keys laughed aloud at the awed expressions of even Leomon in the boat as he skimmed the surface of the water next to them, dipping his hand in the water to create a trail of water behind him. Keys removed his hand from the water and arched his back upwards, accelerating as he increased his altitude.

_I always love flying_, he thought as he twisted his back and arched down to come headlong at the digidestined in their boat. Leomon swerved his head to the side and the others ducked as Keys shot past them.

"Pretty impressive maneuver Sora." He looked behind him to see Kairi hot on his tail, Menelmon flanking her. The Oathkeeper appeared in her hand and a shard of ice came out of its tip at him. Keys swerved to dodge it as Aiwemon peeled off from him to avoid the ice.

"Whoa!" the brown bird digimon exclaimed.

"Ice Feathers!" Menelmon cried, beating her wings violently. Keys looked behind him and saw the feathers laced with ice streaking towards his partner.

"Aiwemon!" he yelled, attracting the bird digimon's attention. Aiwemon glanced at him before climbing to avoid the feathers. Aiwemon rolled during the climb and leveled off, looking down at Kairi and Menelmon with glowing blue eyes.

"Keen Sight!" he roared, shooting the blue rays out of his eyes at the two females. Menelmon rolled to avoid the hit while Kairi flew at him, a reflega shield taking the blast.

"You're too slow Aiwemon," Menelmon giggled. "For a hawk you should be faster." Keys flew in front of Aiwemon as the digimon dived down to dodge Kairi's slash and blocked the Oathkeeper with the materializing Oblivion. Aiwemon leveled off of his dive and flew straight at Menelmon as snow started to swirl around her snow-white beak.

"Snow Slurry!" she cried out, the snow spiraling towards Aiwemon while Keys and Kairi continued their duel above them. Aiwemon banked his wings and swerved his way through the spiral, outmaneuvering it. Menelmon's eyes opened wider in shock as he slipped past the attack.

"I'll show you speed Menelmon," he shrieked, diving in towards her. "Steel Talons!"

"What's going on?!" The four of them stopped in midair and Aiwemon quickly halted his attack and zoomed past Menelmon, leaving her unharmed in the confusion. They all looked down at the boat which was still moving towards Infinity Mountain and saw Tai standing unsteadily and staring up at them like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"You two are supposed to be dating," he said in disbelief. "Why are you fighting to kill each other?" Kairi and Keys looked at each other before releasing their keyblades and descending to the boat's level, Aiwemon and Menelmon slowly gliding down to catch up.

"We always do this," Keys explained to the stunned group. "And I beat Kai yesterday, but we never fight with the strength to kill each other."

"Of course not," Kairi added hastily. "Why would I want to kill the boy I love and want to marry and have kids with someday?"

"Let's not talk about kids right now Kairi," Keys said with a smile. "Remember what my dad said?" Kairi grinned and flopped over to the other side of the boat, landing atop Sora's chest as he flipped around.

"Not until after we've saved the worlds," she said sweetly, dropping her head lower. Her lips opened hungrily and they met Keys' their tongues flitting playfully between their mouths.

"Eeww," T.K. said, looking up at them. "What are they doing Matt?" His older brother shielded the youngest digidestined eyes with his hand while he remained looking at Kairi and her boyfriend, transfixed.

"Something that teenagers do," he replied unsteadily. Whether he was feeling queasy from sea-sickness or from thinking that he could see tongue, he wasn't sure.

"I don't get it," Patamon said from atop T.K.'s head. "It's just a kiss, so why is Kairi moaning softly?"

"I guess that humans are stranger than we thought," Tentomon hypothesized for the digimon. "But if Keys and Kairi will fight like that amongst themselves, I'd hate to get on their bad side."

"I can't agree more Tentomon," Agumon said, folding his arms in imitation of Tai. Keys and Kairi broke apart from their kiss and returned to their normal flight paths, if a little breathless and red-faced. Mimi sighed dreamily and glanced down from where she had been looking at Kairi as the girl passed overhead.

"Devimon is very powerful," Leomon said as they got closer to Infinity Mountain. "He has brought nothing but trouble to File Island. We must be careful." Keys heard Aiwemon's wing beats becoming less frequent as Leomon was speaking and saw the bird falling behind.

"Aiwemon?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

"Just a little tired Sora?" his partner replied. "I haven't used my wings this much since I got them." Keys sighed sympathetically as the boat made land-fall and touched down, looking back at Aiwemon.

"Don't worry buddy," he said as Kairi landed lightly next to him. "You can rest on my shoulder before the fight." Aiwemon sighed gratefully and landed on Keys' shoulder moments after Menelmon landed on Kairi's.

"You shouldn't have pushed yourself too hard in that bout," she sighed. Aiwemon cocked his head over at the female digimon.

"I see you're resting too," he said. Kairi shook her head slightly.

"Don't bite her head off Aiwemon," Keys said before Kairi could speak as the other digidestined and Leomon got up to them. Tai nodded at them and they all started following Leomon up the mountain.

"Look out Devimon," Tai growled. "We're coming."

* * *

In the center of a Greek style temple, up on the Peak of Infinity Mountain, a black devil stood facing Ogremon. On his chest was an orange blotch in the shape of a bat, and on his left shoulder there was a white tattoo of a skull. Two horns jutted out from the sides of his head, horizontal at first, but then becoming vertical up near his shoulders. Three spikes slightly jutted out of the back of his head and his black wings were covered in holes, making them appear decrepit and impossible to fly with. Black belts wrapped around his upper waist and elbows and one of his arms was wrapped with brown bandages and sharp claws extended from his hands. Maleficent and the person in blue armour that she had brought with her were standing nearby as well. 

"Perfect," Devimon said. "That traitor Leomon is leading them directly into my trap. He's been very valuable to me."

"I guess so," Ogremon said. "But I'm loyal and better looking."

"Listen to me!" Devimon ordered, grinning manically. "You will pay them one final visit." He extended a clawed arm towards Ogremon, who fearfully flinched away from his master. "Ready?" He grasped Ogremon by the neck with his claw and the green digimon dissolved into a squadron of black gears. Devimon laughed and the gears flew into him.

"Quite intriguing Devimon," Maleficent muttered from the corner as the evil digimon laughed. "Turning your own servant into something to increase your power? Your style is definitely… different then some of the other fools I have worked with." Devimon laughed some more and began to speak in a voice that shook the heavens.

* * *

The digidestined were walking on a mountain cliff up the side of Infinity Mountain, a grove of pine trees to their right about twenty feet down. Leomon was leading them up as they hiked, and Aiwemon and Menelmon had mostly recovered from atop the shoulders of their partners. A maniacal voice began emanating from the mountain top and the sky went dark. 

"Hear this digidestined!" the voice said. "My power is infinite! Your hopes and dreams are useless!" Keys looked around frantically and saw dozens of small black gears flying towards the peak.

"Look black gears!" he said, pointing.

"I am the supreme master of this island!" the voice continued. "If you dare you defy me, I shall unleash the powers of the universe, and conquer you! You can't escape!"

"Well," Kairi said, placing her hands on her hips. "He's sure full of himself." The ground started shaking and the earth rumbled.

"No turning back now!" Tai exclaimed as they all stared at the Peak of Infinity Mountain, transfixed. Devimon's head appeared, breaking the top of the temple.

"What in the world is that?" Mimi asked as Devimon started to stand, his wings expanding.

"It must be Devimon," Tai said.

"Whoa," Keys said in awe. "He's huge! That has to be a hundred-twenty foot wingspan!"

"I didn't expect him to be such a big guy," Palmon said.

"Bad guys always seem to think bigger is better," Izzy commented. Keys shook his head.

"No they don't," he said shakily, though the sheer size of Devimon was unnerving.

"The power that Devimon possesses is immense," Leomon warned. "So be careful." Devimon stood from the mountain top and jumped off, gliding down behind the belt of trees where they stood.

"He's here," Tai said as Devimon landed and the earth shook. "Uh Agumon, you'd better digivolve."

"Right," the rookie replied in fear. Devimon turned around to face them his massive wings creating a gale. Tai, Agumon and the other digidestined and digimon were blown back to the cliff. Keys and Kairi stood their ground, but were pushed back a few inches by the force of the gale, Aiwemon and Menelmon struggling to keep away from the cliff-face. Leomon refused to budge. Devimon raised his hand and a dark energy radiated out of its palm towards them.

"Oh no you don't!" Kairi cried, raising a shielding bubble of light. The dark energy struck her shield, and was denied moving forward.

"Thanks Kairi," Matt said appreciatively.

"Ah," Devimon said in interest and glaring at Kairi. "So you're that accursed princess of heart that Maleficent was talking about. Let's see what happens when I use the powers of darkness that she entrusted to me." Kairi's face shifted into a more determined one as she worked to keep them shielded, knowing her theory was correct. A greater darkness erupted from Devimon's hands and barreled towards the bubble. It shrunk slightly as the first wave hit it, and Kairi and Keys backed away in fear. A second wave hit her light and shattered it, streaming towards them and sending the group to the cliff in pain. Kairi's howls were the greatest as the darkness assaulted them.

"You are fools," Devimon said. "Don't expect me to play silly games with you; I'm far too wise for that."

"Harpoon Torpedo!" a gruff voice yelled. Keys budged his eyes open and saw a volley of horns arching into the sky. The horns broke and green torpedoes were revealed in the center. The torpedoes dipped and shot towards Devimon, hitting him square in the face and chest. Devimon relinquished his dark attack on the digidestined and Leomon and turned to face the creature that fired them, a large white fur-covered dog-sea animal digimon with a black horn on the top of his head and white tusks from the corners of his mouth.

"That's a bulls-eye Ikkakumon," said a kid with blue hair wearing a light yellow t-shirt and tan shorts and a first-aid bag slung over his shoulder, standing next to the digimon.

"Meteor Wing!" Keys turned his head around to see a large red fire-bird unfurling her wings, jets of fire streaming out towards Devimon. The firestorm struck the evil digimon and he buckled slightly.

"Quick everybody, there's no time to waste!" yelled a girl in a yellow shirt and blue jeans, with ginger hair covered by a round blue hat and pink gloves on her hands. "We've got to strike right away!" she ordered as she ran up to them all.

"I guess that you're Sora #1," Keys said from the ground as he picked himself up. The girl stopped and looked in confusion at him and Kairi, who she had just noticed as well.

"Who are you two?" she asked. Keys answered before anyone else could speak.

"I'm Sora #2," he replied quickly. "But you can call me Keys, and this is Kairi. But right now, we have an evil digimon to defeat." Everyone else nodded.

"Digivolve," Tai said.

"You got it," Agumon replied. "Ready gang?" Gabumon, Palmon, and Tentomon nodded their heads.

"Agumon digivolved to, Greymon!"

"Yeah," Tai said next to the giant dinosaur. "Go Greymon!"

"Gabumon digivolved to, Garurumon!"

"Let's turn this guy into pudding," Matt roared as the great blue and white wolf came into being.

"Tentomon digivolved to, Kabuterimon!"

"My biology teacher would love this," Izzy said, watching the light drop and the giant blue insect grow from the little beetle.

"Mine too," Kairi added. "Hope he survived," she added in an undertone.

"Palmon digivolved to, Togemon!"

"I do like the way our colours match," Mimi said to the giant cactus. Fire started to spout from Greymon's mouth.

"Nova Blast!" he roared, launching the fireball out from his muzzle.

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon yelled, a column of icy blue energy erupting from his mouth as he leapt at Devimon. Devimon blocked both attacks with his gargantuan arm, and as Garurumon leapt onto it and began biting the evil foe, Keys realized that even though their digimon were big, Devimon was simply massive! At least ten times as big as Greymon.

"Uh Aiwemon," he said shakily as Devimon flung Garurumon into Greymon, sending the two champions to the cliff side, "do you have a champion form too? Because I think they need some help." The little rookie shook his head.

"Well I probably do," he said sadly. "But I still need to unlock it. The same goes for Menelmon and Patamon."

"Your attacks are pitiful," Devimon taunted. "I'm afraid you'll need to try harder than that."

"Electro Shocker!" Kabuterimon yelled, flying in above Devimon.

"So you want a little Needle Spray do yah?" Togemon asked loudly, her needles flying off of her body at Devimon.

"Give up you fools!" Devimon spat, slamming his arm down on Togemon and sending her to the ground near his feet. He moved his arm again and knocked Kabuterimon away into the sky, screaming through the air. "It's useless!" Leomon sprang from the cliff towards Devimon's exposed back, his black sword drawn.

"You're mine now!" he yelled viciously, falling through the air as physics demanded. He was about to attack the back of Devimon's right leg when Ogremon appeared from within, attached by a chord of darkness. "YOU!" Leomon yelled in surprise.

"You got no chance against the likes of us kitty cat," Ogremon taunted, meeting Leomon's sword with his club. He brought his hand back behind him and formed a fist, purple darkness growing around it. "Pummel Whack!" He punched out and a beam of dark energy that sent Leomon flying through the pine trees and out of the fight.

"You're not worth my time," Devimon spat as he gripped the red fire bird in one of his hands.

"Birdramon!" Sora yelled in anxiety as Devimon slowly crushed her partner. Devimon flung the bird digimon at the ground, where she crashed into Greymon as he was just getting up again.

"Uh Sora," Kairi said anxiously as the Oathkeeper appeared in her hand and Greymon and Birdramon crashed down the cliff. "I think it's time we started fighting, seeing as how we're losing." She brought her head down and looked hardly at Devimon from beneath her auburn locks. "And you know how much I hate to lose," she added in a low growl. Keys nodded and the Oblivion made its appearance in his hands. He flew into the air, Kairi and their digimon at his heels. Devimon turned his mammoth head towards them.

"Ah, the keyblade brats," he said. "I was wondering when I'd get to witness more of your pitiful power."

"I'll show you pitiful!" Keys snarled, brandishing the Oblivion in front of him. "Firaga!" A great fireball, the size of Greymon's Nova Blast or even a little bigger, erupted from the blazing tip of his black keyblade and barreled towards the digimon.

"Thundaga!" Kairi roared, a torrent of electricity spiraling from her own white blade.

"Keen Sight!"

"Ice Feathers!" The attacks all headed for Devimon's face, but he merely laughed as they impacted him, doing practically nothing.

"Do you really think you pitiful children can defeat me?" he asked, enjoying the unnerved teenagers backing away slightly. "You are mere humans, what can you possibly do against a great digimon like me."

"We can do this!" Keys roared, flying forward and slashing Devimon's cheek with the Oblivion's cold steel. Devimon recoiled slightly in pain and whacked Keys away, sending him crashing into the cliff. Devimon brought a hand to his cheek and felt the damage, before grinning as Keys fell onto the ground next to Tai and Matt, slightly shaken.

"Sora!" Aiwemon yelled, flying towards him.

"Just as I thought," Devimon chuckled. "Barely a scratch." He moved his arms and Kairi weaved around one, but the next strike proved too fast for her to dodge and she was sent out towards the ground near Togemon.

"Kairi!" Menelmon cried, flying down to see if she was alright.

"You're next," Devimon said, moving to face Ikkakumon on the ground.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" the white champion yelled, sending out his constantly re-growing horn. The two he fired struck Devimon's clawed hand and rebounded, having not had time to lose their protective covering. Devimon picked up Ikkakumon in one hand and turned to fling him at Kabuterimon, who had returned and was preparing to attack again. There was a crunch and both digimon fell to the ground in a painful heap.

"Blizzaga!" Keys yelled, pointing his keyblade at Devimon's back. Devimon turned when he felt the cold ice strike him and grinned maniacally at Sora, Aiwemon fluttering above the boy.

"It looks like I get to do what Maleficent could not," he mused to himself while he moved a hand towards him. "I get to destroy the keyblade master!"

"Keen Sight!" Aiwemon yelled, his eyes glowing a violent electric blue. The blue beams shot out of his eyes and hit Devimon's fist, but he did not flinch and he did not stop. Aiwemon shot out another set in desperation, but it didn't do anymore than the first. Devimon's hand turned into a fist and he brought it up, ready to bring it down on Keys.

"No!" Kairi yelled from where she was forced to watch. "Sora!"

"Goodbye!" Devimon yelled, bringing down his fist as the digidestined around Keys scattered.

"Reflega!" Keys roared, holding his keyblade horizontal in both hands as his magical shield formed around him before the fist could impact. Devimon struck hard on his defence and Keys buckled onto his knees, his shield cracking.

"Sora!" Aiwemon cried, flying forward as Keys' digivice started screaming wildly and a bright light surrounded the small brown bird.

"Ah!" Devimon cried, his fist recoiling away from Keys' cracking shield and the light streaming from Aiwemon.

"What's happening?" Keys asked, looking at Aiwemon's glowing body in anxiety and wonder.

"He's digivolving," Izzy said in awe. "And so soon after achieving his rookie form, we haven't seen something like this since Agumon first digivolved to Greymon."

"You won't get my partner Devimon!" Aiwemon yelled in defiance as his body grew. "Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon!" The light dropped and Keys looked at his partner, stunned at the change that had happened. Where Aiwemon had been hovering there now stood a six and a half foot high humanoid bird digimon. Aiwemon's wings had vanished to be replaced by Ohtarmon's burly arms, covered in the former bird's brown feathers, and yellow claws. His legs had lengthened as he stood on his larger yellow feet, the legs also covered by the feathers of the rookie level. The feathers though, could not be seen as nearly all of Ohtarmon's body was encased in a suit of shining grey armour. A round helmet covered the top half of his head, with holes the exact size of his green eyes in the helm, and just below the helmet his beak had lengthened and widened. In Ohtarmon's yellow claw-like hands he held a large grey mace with razor-sharp brown feathers with white tips protruding as spikes.

"Cool!" Tai exclaimed as the champion grimly surveyed Devimon.

"Aiwemon?" Keys asked uncertainly. Ohtarmon chuckled and looked at him.

"It's Ohtarmon now Sora," he said before turning his head and looking back at Devimon.

"Bah!" Devimon retorted. "So you've digivolved, I can still fight you blindfolded." He moved his hand towards Ohtarmon and the champion readied his feather-spiked mace.

"I don't think so," Ohtarmon said gruffly with as much of a grin as a beak would allow. Devimon's hand changed into a fist and the evil digimon threw a punch at Ohtarmon as the champion began to swing his mace. "Deciding Swing!" The mace connected with Devimon's knuckles in a white explosion of power and the champion was forced back a few feet by the strength of the explosion while Devimon withdrew his fist.

"Awesome," Matt said.

"Hn," Devimon grunted, looking at him. "I'll say that that was impressive Ohtarmon. Not many champion level digimon would be strong enough to even have a hope of fighting me; but I can see you're a true warrior." Ohtarmon pointed his mace at Devimon.

"Stay quiet so I can end your reign of tyranny and oppression," he ordered. "Feathered Mace!" The feathers on his mace detached themselves from the weapon and hurtled at Devimon, more feathers constantly taking their place on the mace and flinging themselves off as well.

"You may be strong for a champion," Devimon said as the feathers stuck into his chest, causing no visible damage while the giant digimon simply took the attack, "but I am superior." Devimon quickly brought a hand down near Keys and Ohtarmon again, determined to whack them aside.

"Deciding Swing!" Ohtarmon yelled again, swinging his mace desperately in defence.

"Firaga!" Keys roared, a corkscrew of flame erupting from the Oblivion's tip.

"Too slow!" Devimon retorted, his hand avoiding the physical attack and taking the magical hit. He slapped both Keys and Ohtarmon into the cliff wall again. Birdramon flapped into the air above Devimon's head and Kairi took into the sky again.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon cried, unfurling her wings and sending down the shower of fiery meteors.

"You will not win Devimon!" Kairi yelled, weaving through her ally's attack and striking Devimon's other cheek with the Oathkeeper. Devimon recoiled slightly from the combined attack as the flames hit his shoulder and Kairi's keyblade cut into his dark flesh.

"Get out of my sight!" Devimon roared, grabbing Birdramon again and flinging her into Kairi. The girl cried out in pain as the fire bird digimon crashed into her and they screamed through the air before breaking into the ground near where Ikkakumon had been, skidding several feet through cracking earth.

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon yelled, his icy blue attack coming out of his muzzle and striking Devimon's shielding arm.

"Pitiful fool!" Devimon roared, striking the wolf back into the crumbling cliff.

The blue haired boy rushed up to Kairi as she disentangled herself from Birdramon.

"Hey are you all right?" he asked anxiously, taking his first aid bag off of his shoulder. Kairi smiled slightly as she limped to the ground, Menelmon flying over to her side.

"Nothing a good old-fashioned cure spell won't fix," she muttered, observing her numerous cuts and scrapes. Kairi got up and offered her left hand to the boy.

"I know it's pretty lame to do introductions right now in the heat of battle," she said, moving some of her now dusty auburn hair out of her eyes, "but my name's Kairi." The boy smiled slightly to himself and took her hand.

"And I'm Joe Kido," he said, shaking it. "Nice to meet you Kairi." Kairi nodded at Joe.

"Nice to meet you too," she said. Kairi turned her head to look at Devimon while Birdramon was still cringing on the ground and ran at the giant evil champion. She placed her palm on the ground as she got about ten feet further away from Joe. "Gaia!" A spike of earth shot out of the ground towards Devimon's back. But Ogremon, who had been feeling left out while he was within Devimon, stretched his chord out from the black digimon's back.

"Pummel Whack!" he yelled, swinging his club at the rising spear of rock. The club struck the point of the earth and it stopped moving as the tip broke off, leaving a broken column standing amidst the battlefield.

"No way," Kairi breathed. A swirling portal of darkness appeared for a second in front of Kairi and standing in front of her was none other than Maleficent. "Oh no," Kairi said quietly through the dark, fear making her voice no more than a whisper.

"Kairi are you okay?" Keys hollered from the cliff edge as he got back up. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the witch and all hope seemed to vanish from his heart.

"Keys, who is that?" Mimi asked fearfully.

"It's Maleficent," he answered in disbelief. "We're doomed." He shook his head slightly. "Kairi run!" he roared down at her, leaping off of the cliff to get to her.

"Wait for me Sora," Ohtarmon said, jumping off of the cliff to slide down the rocky face.

"Why my dear Kairi," Maleficent said pleasantly, moving forward a step while Kairi backed away. "Aren't you happy to see me?" Kairi shook her head.

"No," she whispered. "No this can't be happening."

"Ah, but it is Kairi," Maleficent said malevolently. "It is." Kairi raised the Oathkeeper and pointed it shakily at Maleficent.

"Light!"

"Don't waste your energy," Maleficent spat as the green orb on her staff glowed. A ball of darkness shot out of her staff and struck Kairi's ball of light, snuffing it out like a candle and continuing on to hit Kairi. The girl screamed in agony as the ball of darkness struck her, and stayed connected, filling her body with pain worse than thumbscrews and knives. Maleficent waved her hand and the ball vanished.

"You liked that didn't you?" Maleficent said lovingly as the princess collapsed on the ground, shaking after her rigorous torture. "You princesses of heart are all the same. Your lit hearts protect you from some of the more subtle effects of darkness, while it makes you weaker to the direct attacks!"

"Feathered Mace!" Ohtarmon yelled, pointing his mace at Maleficent as he ran in. The sorceress sneered and a shell of darkness formed around her, taking in the feathers. The shell then collapsed in upon itself and formed a small crackling bolt of dark lightning. The spell struck out at Ohtarmon and threw him into a nearby pine tree, sending the tree to the ground. Maleficent raised her staff and blocked Keys' falling Oblivion.

"Fighting for love again I see," she said to the keyblade master's face as she moved her staff around with equal or even greater speed than what Keys was putting up. She struck him across the ribs with the shaft of her weapon and sent a shockwave from her palm that sent him crashing into Birdramon before the champion could take flight again.

"Oh great!" Tai roared from the cliff. "Now we're fighting two enemies at once, Greymon!"

"You got it Tai," the dinosaur said. "Nova Blast!" Maleficent turned her head and the fireball dissolved in the air before it could strike her.

"Kabuterimon!" Izzy yelled as the insect digimon flew over Devimon's shoulder.

"Electro Shocker!" he yelled, sending the blast of electricity out at Devimon. The giant digimon took the blast and grabbed Kabuterimon in the air.

"How about a little Light Speed Jabbing!" Togemon yelled, running up to Devimon and punching his heel with lightning quickness. Devimon used Kabuterimon as a club and broke the column of earth standing near his leg, sending showers of rock down on the cactus. He then threw Kabuterimon at Greymon, the two champions being forced to the cliffs again.

"Oh no!" Mimi cried. "Togemon!"

"Greymon!" "Kabuterimon!"

"You see Kairi," Maleficent said as she whacked to girl to the ground with her staff. "You cannot win, it is useless."

"Snow Slurry!" Menelmon cried, sending her blast of swirling sub-zero water at the witch. "All right," she said as the snow piled up over the sorceress in a blasting heap.

"Think again Menelmon," Maleficent said, the snow and ice vanishing. She struck her staff at Menelmon, but it was blocked by a giant horn that was attached to Ikkakumon. The great white digimon brought his head up and away before dipping it at Maleficent.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" he roared, shooting off a missile. The protective casing broke off and the green missile struck home against Maleficent's chest.

"Nice shot Ikkakumon," Joe said from the sidelines as Kairi limped away, Menelmon following her.

"Insolent fool," Maleficent spat as the dust cleared from the explosion. She struck Ikkakumon with a beam of darkness and he barreled into Ogremon's pummel before crashing to the ground. She turned to face Kairi again as the girl turned around to look at her while she backed away. Maleficent cried out in surprise when the Oblivion struck against her side.

"How do you like it when someone hits home again Maleficent?" Keys sneered. "You've felt the steel of the keyblade before; you know how painful it can be." Maleficent started laughing.

"Yet you have forgotten," she cackled. "I am the Queen of all Evil!" She blasted Keys back with a dark energy attack that sent him to the cliff.

"Oh no!" Kairi cried out again. "Sora!" Maleficent turned to leer at Kairi.

"So the princess of heart fears for her boyfriend's safety?" she asked, raising her staff towards the female teen. "He should fear for yours." She raised her arms to the dark skies and began cheering in a fell voice. "Meteors from Heaven, unleash thy fury!" Giant meteors appeared from behind Maleficent from a swirling blue mass, their edges lined with dark fire. Kairi sliced one in two as they came at her with the Oathkeeper, and another was destroyed by Greymon's Nova Blast, but the third meteor broke through Kairi's hastily erected reflega shield and struck her hard, sending the girl crashing into Keys as he caught her by the cliff and slamming the both of them into the rocks again.

"Kairi!" Menelmon cried, glowing white. Maleficent shielded her eyes from the intense amount of light energy spewing forth from the small blue bird.

"Ah," she said. "So this is the light of digivolution."

"Astounding," Izzy said in awe while Devimon stopped to look at what was happening. "Two digivolutions in one day for the both of them. Now it's just like our first day in the Digital World with Greymon and Garurumon."

"Relax Izzy and wonder at it later," Sora said, shaking her head.

"Menelmon digivolved to, Soronmon!" The light dropped and Kairi opened her eyes from the cliffs, wiping some blood from her cheek, and gasped. Flying where Menelmon had been was an even larger ice bird, perfectly opposite to Birdramon. Menelmon's wings had expanded vastly and her body had increased in size. Her ice-blue feathers and wings had become nearly snow-white, while her legs had shifted from a yellow colour to a brown and sharper talons sat on her clawed feet. A small cresting plume of ice-blue feathers was positioned at the top of her head and almost a mane of ice-white surrounded her neck. Her beak was no longer as rounded as it had been in her rookie form, and now looked more like Ohtarmon's beak did, except that it was still white.

"Polar Chill!" Soronmon yelled, beating her wings and sending icicles the size of watermelons at Maleficent. The sorceress shielded herself from the incoming ice with her dark cape.

"Accursed digimon," she said as a portal opened quickly atop her and she vanished. "I'll finish you off later." Soronmon smiled and began flying over to where Keys and Kairi were coming out of the breaking cliff near Greymon and Kabuterimon to greet her when Devimon's swinging hand struck the Champion level digimon and sent her crashing into the tyrannosaur, Kabuterimon barely avoiding being hit.

"Soronmon!" "Greymon!"

"Oh boy," T.K. said fearfully from the cliff. "There's nobody left. What do we do Patamon?" Devimon turned around and looked at the small child.

"Now to get rid of you," he said, "then I'll have nothing to fear. You may not be as pesky as those keyblade wielders but they say the smallest will destroy me, and I will not let that happen." He extended his hand towards the smallest digidestined. "Don't move; make it easy on both of us." Matt and Garurumon ran in towards T.K. and Garurumon leapt at Devimon's hand and began biting it.

"T.K. run!" Matt yelled to his younger brother. Devimon recoiled and the other digimon untangled themselves from whatever heap they had been in and rushed at the giant foe. Greymon bit one of Devimon's legs, Kabuterimon sank his fangs into Devimon's shoulder, Birdramon and Soronmon clawed at his face, Ikkakumon bit the other leg with his teeth and tusks, and Togemon leapt onto his foreleg, sinking her needles in through physical proximity. Ohtarmon sank his mace into Devimon's foot and held it down while he stood on said foot, and Keys and Kairi ran their keyblades into Devimon's chest, sticking him with all their remaining might.

"You seem to forget, I am Devimon! Supreme Master of this Island! I have power over all digimon! No one can conquer me!" A great wave of darkness pulsated out of his body in a spherical blast that sent everyone, even the digidestined on the cliff away from him, flying away and crashing to the ground.

"Whoa," Greymon said weakly from the ground. "That guy knows how to take it out of you."

"I can't move," Togemon added, lying spread-eagled on the ground. "Even my needles feel numb."

"That hurt even through the armour," Ohtarmon said, slouched over at the base of the cliff.

"Now is probably not a good time to take a nap," Kabuterimon sighed as Ikkakumon moaned next to him. Keys struggled to lift himself up, but the physical toll his body had taken in the span of the last while was great and he collapsed down on the ground, the Oblivion vanishing from his hand. Kairi released her hold on the Oathkeeper and her right hand flew out to touch Sora's left. He gripped hands with her, glad she was by his side.

"This is bad," Tai said, noting that every one of them including Keys and Kairi were down.

"Matt!" T.K. cried in pain from the ground.

"You will be mine," Devimon growled as he moved closer to the cliff.

"Hey," Matt said to T.K., "get ready to run." T.K. and Patamon looked up to see Devimon's hand coming towards T.K. again. Patamon beat his little wings and hovered into the air protectively in front of T.K., his blue eyes defiantly raised against Devimon as he swelled.

"Boom Bubble, Pah!" he roared, releasing the compressed air. Devimon's hand continued to move forward, unhindered by Patamon's attacks. "Pah!" he cried again, releasing another shot of compressed air. Devimon's hand did not stop. Patamon floated in the air, sad that nothing he was doing was working and that he wasn't digivolving.

"Patamon help!" T.K. cried fearfully with tears running down from his eyes as Devimon's hand started to close on him.

"I'll save you T.K.!" Patamon yelled, diving in to be near the smallest child's green hat when Devimon's hand formed a fist and encased the both of them.

"Hang on pal!" Matt yelled. A bright white light started the slip out of the cracks between Devimon's fingers.

"What?" he roared in pain, removing his hand from T.K. and the sphere of light that was Patamon. "That light, it's blinding!"

"What's that?" Mimi asked.

"It's a-" Izzy said before stopping, finally at a complete loss for words.

"It's Patamon," Sora said as she lay on the ground. "He must be digivolving." The light rose into the air to hover above Devimon's head.

"Patamon digivolve to, Angemon."

"Hey Patamon finally digivolved," Joe said, standing next to Ikkakumon as they looked at the angel digimon floating in the air. Angemon stood tall as a pure white human, a black belt around his waist holding up a trailing blue cloth. Long orange hair flowed down his back from underneath a black helmet that obscured the top half of his head, though not impeding his vision. Blue fabric also wound around his left arm and there was a golden shoulder pad on his left shoulder. Six shining white wings rose from his back and in his left hand he held a golden staff. Blue light glowed around him as he lit up the gloom that Devimon's darkness had brought.

"That's super cool!" Sora exclaimed.

"Not bad," Matt said. "That little guy really had it in him."

"Nice hair," Mimi said appraisingly. "Good colour."

"An Angel," Keys and Kairi said in awe at the same time. T.K. looked up at his partner in pride.

"I want to take him home with me," he said wistfully.

"What's this?" Devimon growled. "Another foolish attempt? Haven't you realized that you cannot defeat me? You are now the third to have first reached your champion stage for the first time in this fight, what makes you think you will perform any better?"

"The forces of good are more powerful," Angemon told Devimon in an echoing voice. "Even you can't stop us." Angemon raised his staff above his head and held it in both hands. "I'll destroy you and bring peace to the island." Keys grasped his digivice with his free hand as it started to scream wildly and a shaft of white light radiated from it towards Angemon. He looked around and saw that the digivices of all the other digidestined were giving light to the holy digimon above them as well. Golden light surrounded all of the champion level digimon except for Angemon and they reverted back into their rookie levels, a pink bird taking the place of Birdramon and a white seal-like digimon instead of Ikkakumon.

"Gomamon," Joe said in surprise, seeing his partner revert.

"That light is so bright!" Devimon complained. "What are you doing to me?" Devimon shielded his eyes with his massive, but thin, arm. "I won't allow you to take my power away; you'll have to fight me!"

"I'm afraid I have no other choice," Angemon muttered, twirling his staff above his head until it pointed at Devimon. "If I can help others my fate is unimportant."

"Angemon!" T.K. yelled.

"You're powers have gotten far out of control and must be extinguished!" Angemon continued, bringing his staff down in front of him and brandishing it like a sword. "I am ready to fight for peace." Ogremon came out from Devimon's chest on his dark chord towards Angemon, but a golden light came from his staff as the green virus type digimon hit it. Ogremon rebounded and shot back through Devimon, making a hole through the devil digimon's abdomen, and was ripped from the chord as he flew out into the forest.

"Now you've done it," Devimon spat, cringing painfully as he looked at the hole in his chest. Angemon absorbed his glowing staff into his right hand and brought it behind him slightly as it glowed with orange energy, as if readying to throw a punch. Devimon laughed and approached him with an open mouth.

"Be careful!" T.K. yelled. Angemon turned his head slightly to look at the small boy out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll get him," he said calmly. "Relax."

"Come here pretty boy," Devimon said, closing his hands around the angel.

"I'll stop you!" Angemon roared, throwing his fist out towards Devimon. The orange beam shot out of his hand and impaled Devimon in the chest and continued going, acting almost like the light from a lighthouse as it went out to sea and turned white. A spherical wave of light energy erupted from Angemon's fist and enveloped Devimon, and indeed the whole of File Island, broken up as it was. Devimon started breaking up into purple lights of data within a cloud of white light as Angemon started dissolving into a white light, each starting at the feet and progressing upwards.

"You have used up all your power," Devimon taunted as he was being deleted. "That wasn't very smart Angemon. Now you're no use to anyone. You can't get away from the dark forces. Evil is _everywhere_, so don't savour your victory. There are other digimon that are just as powerful as I am, some that are even stronger! I wonder what you'll do when you run into them. You haven't won at all, what a waste of time!" He laughed one last time as he finally finished fading away.

"Angemon!" Angemon turned his head as he neared half-way deletion and saw T.K. staring at him in disbelief with teary eyes.

"T.K.," he said. "I'll come back again, if you want me to." With those last words the great angel digimon vanished. Keys reckoned that T.K.'s cry for his fallen friend could have been heard all the way back in the Radiant Garden as the small boy collapsed in the returned light of the afternoon. Keys struggled to get back up to his feet, aching from the open cuts and sores from crashing into rocks and trees so many times over the past while.

"I've been hit by skyscrapers that hurt less than this battle did," he said, limping towards T.K. with the others, human and digimon, slowly gathering around the small boy. Keys brought his head up sadly to look into the bright sky where Angemon had been and gasped as white feathers fell from the spot and landed in front of the green-clad child. T.K. stopped his sobbing and looked at the pile in interest before a white light surrounded the feathers and they turned into a white egg with orange bands around it.

"What do you know?" Tentomon said. "It's a digiegg."

"Do you think it could be Angemon?" T.K. asked uncertainly.

"I know it is," Gabumon said. "He's just resting for a while to regain his strength."

"But don't worry," Palmon added. "You'll see him again when he digivolves."

"I will make sure to take really good care of him," T.K. muttered, picking up the egg and hugging it. "You saved my life Angemon." Sora looked up from the little boy and pointed her hand out to sea.

"Look! The island is coming back together again," she exclaimed.

"Exactly," Izzy explained. "Devimon's been defeated. Once evil is eliminated, the island returns to its normal state." Matt shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, what's with those evil digimon across the sea that Devimon mentioned?" he asked.

"Yeah," Joe added, "I thought we were going home." Mimi stamped her feet and sat down.

"Oh, I don't want to fight again!" she whined. "Oh, I think I broke a nail." Kairi leaned onto Keys' shoulder tiredly and he supported her, somewhat.

"Well according to Leomon's legend we gotta do it," Tai said enthusiastically. "Remember, we're the digidestined."

"I didn't break any nails," Kairi said coming into the conversation a little late. "But I'm definitely worse for wear than you are." Tai and the others gasped when they looked at Keys and Kairi, having not noticed just how beat-up looking they were until now.

"You two need to see a doctor right away!" Joe said, getting out his first aid bag. Keys tiredly waved him off, wincing at moving his arm.

"We'll all be fine in a mo'," he said, the Oblivion appearing in his hand once more. Joe gawked at the weapon but Keys pointed it into the sky. "Curaga." Flowing green vines issued from the blade's tip and circled around the group, healing the humans of any visible cuts, bruises, and scrapes that they had had and easing any pain of the digimon.

"There," Kairi said as the green glow died and the Oblivion vanished from Keys' hands, "that's better." She turned her head to look at Sora and extended her hand towards the ginger-haired girl. "I don't think we had time for formal introductions earlier," she said, smiling. "I'm Kairi, and this is my boyfriend Sora."

"But you can call me Keys," he added quickly and thickly, tired from casting the level three healing spell as he now leaned on his girlfriend's shoulder. The girl placed a hand to her heart while she shook Kairi's with her other.

"In that case, you can call me Sora Takenouchi," she said before blushing and rubbing the back of her head as she remembered something Keys had said. "The others didn't think of calling you Sora #2 did they?"

"Not for a heartbeat," Tai replied. The pink bird digimon with yellow feet and a rounded red beak moved next to Sora.

"And I'm Biyomon," she said, putting her wings together and bowing slightly. Joe stepped forward and placed his hand on Keys shoulder.

"And Kairi already knows this," he said, "but I'm Joe Kido. And you don't need to worry about shaking my hand, just rest up okay?" Keys nodded and smiled at how responsible the thirteen year old was.

"Yeah, sure," Keys said as Joe's partner padded up to him.

"And I'm Gomamon," the seal-type digimon said with a smile. "Sorry to say it, but you look kind of like an older version of Tai with your spiked hair." Keys and Tai looked at each other for a brief second while the others laughed before Mimi placed a finger to her chin.

"You know," she said with a slight smile, "I never noticed this before, but Sora looks a little bit like Kairi." The two girls blushed slightly and looked at each other.

"You know, we kind of do," Sora said shyly. It was then that she noticed Menelmon fluttering up onto Kairi's shoulder. "Hey, who's that?" she asked, pointing at Menelmon.

"Menelmon and Aiwemon digivolved from Luinmon and Ninquemon," Izzy explained. Sora leant her head back a bit and dropped her hand in understanding when the ground near them cracked.

"Hey something's happening," Joe said as the earth broke off of a circular dish with a yellow center. A light started glowing from the dish and a hologram of an old man appeared. The man had a single tassel of short white hair on the top of his bald head and he was wearing a black robe with brown belts crossed over the chest in an X, red shoulders and collar, and an ornate silver belt buckle over a black belt on his waist.

"Hn," he grunted in admiration. "I've heard of you kids, I must say I'm pleased."

"Excuse me sir," Tai said, speaking for the whole group in their amazement. "Tell us; who are you, and what do you want?"

* * *

_End Chapter_

_On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, an armistice was signed between Imperial Germany, and the Allied Powers of Britain, France, and the United States. Four years of the world's deadliest conflict, was over. The Great War, the War to End All Wars, had finally ended. Millions of Europeans, Russians, Commonwealth, and American men and women had died in the four years of brutal bloodshed. Then, in 1939, War broke out again, only ending after six years of Global Conflict and two atomic bombs. Again, hundreds of thousands perished in the fighting, and millions more in the German Concentration Camps. More wars have broken out since, and more men and women have sacrificed themselves so that we may remain free. Today marks the 89__th__ anniversary of the end of the Great War, and it should have ended with it. Here in Canada we call it Remembrance Day. I humbly invite you to take two minutes of silence now before you review or even before you stop by Youtube and watch Terry Kelly's __**Pittance of Time**__, whether it be 11:00 or 23:00 local time when you read this or not even on 11/11/??, and remember the sacrifices that people our age even have made and are still making today._

_**We Will Remember Them**_

_Shire Folk_


	33. Gennai

_Did you all like the last chapter and Ohtarmon and Soronmon? They're both my own creations. There are no licensed digimon that go by those names. Let me tell you right now that you'll be seeing a lot more of them._

_Okay, you probably noticed that the name has changed. That is because I am segmenting the story into several parts to avoid mass clutter and give me some order. So this first part which used to be The Fire in His Heart is now the Beginning. If you check out my updated profile, you will see the list of titles I have planned for this one story, so be prepared for probably years' worth of writing to steadily come at you._

_And because of the name change, I have had to re-submit every chapter, and going through them I made a few changes and additions. So if you can stomach it I invite you to go back and take another read to figure out what has changed and what has not._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Digimon, Square-Enix, or really anything else apart from my OCs. And all you need to do is ask for permission to use them if you want.

* * *

_

**The ****Beginning**

Chapter XXXIII: Gennai

Keys yawned as he looked at the man in the holographic transmission while leaning on Kairi's shoulder. If he wasn't quite as tired as he currently was, and if he wasn't entirely fed up with having to heal himself and Kairi twice in the same day and one of their digimon being forced to sacrifice himself to defeat Devimon, he would have been more intrigued at the old man standing before them. The being swiveled his head away from looking at the other digidestined and looked harshly at him instead as he yawned. Keys took the hint and forcibly stopped the yawn, though he couldn't understand how the man could see with his eyes completely closed. The man then spoke in a seemingly ancient and kind voice that echoed slightly.

"So you children are the digidestined," he said. "You must be strong to have defeated Devimon."

"Who are you?" Tai asked.

"Are you a friend of Devimon's?" Matt added.

"Fear not, for I am a friend to all, and yet, am a friend to none," the man announced in his answer.

"I can't believe it," Sora said. "There are actually other humans besides us in this world." The man looked at her.

"I am human, and yet, I am not human."

"Kairi make him stop talking in riddles," Keys moaned from her shoulder. "He's worse than Jedi Master Yoda in Star Wars." The man grunted in displeasure at him.

"I would have thought of all people in the worlds, that the Keyblade Master would be more open minded," he said. Keys sighed.

"Normally I am," he replied. "But I'm not when I'm tired and I ache from being smashed into cliffs for a good half-hour by a giant evil digimon and my greatest foe; who I still have no clue how we're going to beat. You want open minded? Go talk to Master Yen Sid or King Mickey or someone. Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Gennai," he answered. "I couldn't send you this transmission during the battle with Devimon, but now the lines are clear and only ten cents a minute!"

"Great," Kairi muttered. "A long distance call, hope you aren't charging the bill to us."

"Well a princess like you should be able to pay for it hm?" Gennai asked, smiling at her through his closed eyes.

"I've got plenty of money anyway from fighting heartless," Kairi answered, shaking her head. "I don't need to be using anything from a royal treasury that I've never seen before in my life."

"Well just where are you then?" Izzy asked. "If it's long distance, it has to be some ways away."

"I am speaking to you far away from this island," Gennai answered, "across the ocean, on the continent of Server."

"How long have you been here?" Sora asked.

"Since before the beginning and until after the end," Gennai replied. Keys sunk his head down so his eyes rested hardly on Kairi's shoulder blades.

"He's doing it again," he muttered.

"Are you the one who got us stuck here in the Digital World?" Mimi asked. Gennai looked at her.

"It was not I," he said.

"Then who was it?"

"It was… I don't know who it was." The other digidestined all sighed exasperatedly at him.

"But Mister Gennai sir?" T.K. asked, holding Angemon's digiegg closely to his chest. "Do you know what we have to do so we can all get back home again?"

"I'm afraid I do not," Gennai answered sadly.

"Boy you're a real fountain of information aren't you?" Tai asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry I cannot be of any help to you," Gennai apologized, "but you can be of help to me."

"Helping others in trouble is what Sora and I live for," Kairi answered. Keys slouched further down on her shoulder and she sighed. She slung the male teen off of her and sat him down.

"Kairi what are you doing?" Keys asked as a pink purse appeared in Kairi's hands.

"Looking for an ether for you," she replied, unsnapping the top flap and unzipping the main pocket. She began rummaging within the contents of her purse, pulling various objects out and muttering to herself.

"You had Hi-potions with you and you didn't tell me?" Keys asked, watching her pull out two bottles of the green liquid.

"Well to be honest I completely forgot about them," Kairi replied. "It's not like I can remember them when I have them stashed away in something I don't carry with me all the time."

"You can search for something to return energy to your friend later," Gennai said, slightly amused as he broke up Kairi's little hunt and their small argument. "I want you all to come to Server and defeat our enemies. As the digidestined, I have complete faith in all of you, despite the fact your oldest and newest members may have to leave the digital world at some point to go and save other worlds. Darkness is raging across the universe, and the universe needs all the help it can get."

"But it's impossible to get to you without knowing your exact location!" Izzy exclaimed.

"That's right," Gennai said, looking over at the techno wizard. "I forgot you're from out of town. Let me create a map for you on your computer."

"What if your enemies are humungaziod?" Joe asked. "Do you think we'll be able to defeat anything tougher than Devimon?"

"Not presently," Gennai answered. "But if your digimon can digivolve once more, you might be able to do it."

"So we can digivolve even more?" Agumon asked. Gennai nodded.

"But you'll need something special to do it," he said, his image fading away to reveal a small trapezoidal crest and a golden tag with a trapezoid below a clear slot and a pyramidal shape above the slot. "If you have the tags and crests, your digimon will be able to digivolve even further."

"Please tell us where we may find these tags and crests," Gabumon asked politely.

"Well the crests are scattered about, you can locate them all across the continent of Server." Gennai's image reappeared as the ones of the tag and crest vanished. "And the tags were secretly sealed away somewhere by Devimon."

"So," Keys asked while Kairi continued to rummage, "is there anything special about the tags and crests apart from allowing our digimon to go beyond the Campion level?"

"Why yes," Gennai said, looking at him. "The crests are-, Kairi what did I tell you before? Listen to me."

"I'm still listening Gennai," Kairi answered before her face brightened and she pulled out a blue cube. "Here you go," she said, handing the ether to Keys. He muttered his thanks and crushed the cube over his head, allowing it to wash over him and return energy to his aching limbs. Gennai shook his head but he still smiled at them, a little.

"As I was saying," he continued as the image of the tag and crest appeared again, "there is nothing very special about the tags. Apart from acting as holders for the crests, the only thing they will do is glow when the crest of the wearer is nearby. Their design was just the favourite one we Guardians of the Digital World chose out of a catalogue. The crests are what are really special. Each one was tailor-made for each of you digidestined, based on one of your strongest qualities. When you have the crests and you're demonstrating a great act through this quality the crest will shine and your digimon will take new strength, allowing them to reach the Ultimate level."

"Anything else?" Izzy asked. Gennai nodded his head as he reappeared in the hologram.

"Yes, the crests of the Keyblade Master and the Seventh Princess of Heart-"

"Please don't call me the Seventh," Kairi interrupted quickly, before bowing her head down and rubbing her arm as a chill started to take her. "I don't want to be the Seventh," she whispered quietly. Gennai and the others looked at her.

"What? Is something wrong with being a Princess of Heart?" Gennai asked. Kairi shook her head.

"No," she said, "just don't call me the Seventh. Please, just don't." Gennai nodded his head as Keys wrapped his arms around her.

_Please,_ he thought as he comforted his love, nuzzling his head through her dirty auburn hair. _Please let Kairi not be the Seventh. I don't want to give her up, and I don't want her children to have to go through things worse then what we are right now._

"All right calm down, no need to get upset over a number," Gennai said. "The crests that belong to you two are a little special compared to the other crests. As I said before, you two will need all the firepower you can muster in your fight to defend the worlds from the heartless and Maleficent. Your crests will allow you to take new forms as well; also, they will provide you with a significant power boost. If there is anything else uniquely special to them, I cannot say."

"So you mean I'll be able to Drive again?" Keys asked, looking up from where he was holding Kairi. "And Kairi too?"

"If that's what you call it yes," Gennai said. His holographic transmission started to waver and become fuzzy with static. "Oh no!" he said in panic. "Devimon, oh no! Please, you must come! I'll be waiting, on Server." The hologram faded and they all looked around in confusion. Izzy took his laptop computer off of his back and removed it from its case.

"Gennai's transmission ended rather abruptly," Tentomon said as the computer expert said down and flipped his computer open. Izzy's face balked slightly in amazement at what he saw.

"Well, it looks like he managed to get the map through," he said, closing the top down again.

"Well now what do we do?" Sora asked. Tai clapped his hands together.

"I've got a foolproof plan," the goggle-headed leader announced. "First we'll eat something, and after that I'm open for suggestions." Menelmon turned her head away from the other digidestined and looked at Kairi, who seemed to be recovering from whatever had ailed her.

"Kairi are you alright?" she asked. Keys released his hold on Kairi and he sighed, before turning his head and looking up as all the other digidestined and digimon were looking at them.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"All right Keys," Tai said, folding his arms over his chest. "Spill. What's going on that has you and Kairi spooked?" Kairi looked down, holding her left arm with her right.

"Wait a second," Sora said before Kairi could speak. "You're a princess?" Kairi looked up again and smiled at the girl.

"Yes," she replied. "My twin sister Naminé and I are the princesses of a world called the Radiant Garden."

"A twin sister?" T.K. asked. "Are you identical?" Kairi smiled and took a tone of voice in imitation of Gennai.

"We are closer than identical, and yet farther apart," she said with a laugh. Keys smiled and laughed as well, the same thing applying to himself and Roxas, while everyone else just stared at them without comprehension.

"Huh?" Matt asked.

"Let's do what Tai said and get have something to eat," Keys said as he stopped laughing, but his face had become hard instead of light. Kairi shivered violently and Keys helped her up quickly. "We'll give you the short version of everything from now to the point where we decide what to do." Tai and the others nodded and they all got up and started walking down the mountain path from where they had come, Kairi and Keys giving the cliff walls a very wide berth as a black crow flew above them, visibly unnoticed.

"Let's hope she doesn't strike us now," Kairi whispered quietly to Keys. "She's stopped veiling her aura; I don't know what she's planning."

* * *

Maleficent smiled as she looked down from a higher ledge on the retreating group of humans and digimon, having heard everything from the conversation with Gennai.

"That fool," she said to herself. "He wasn't even using the slightest countermeasures to prevent espionage. Perhaps he is not as wise as he appears to be." She turned away from the cliff and stalked towards the man in blue armour.

"What now boss?" he asked, a smile hidden by his blue helmet forming on his grey lips. Maleficent smiled at him and lowered her voice so that only he could hear while her crow Diablo landed on her shoulder.

"You are going to go to Server ahead of them," she ordered. "If I know anything about Sora's character he will head there to protect the digital world from the threats that plague it. If only I could have a little more time to spend here," she shook her head to herself and brought it back up again to look at the knight.

"Befriend them, or at the very least gain their trust," she instructed. "Use the heartless and the powers over darkness that I gave you to gain their trust."

"How would I do that?" he asked. "That Kairi can sense someone dark a mile away if they aren't controlling their presence properly. And I wouldn't put it past the keyblader to sense me." Maleficent smiled and pulled a small dark amulet with a single rune in the shape of a triangle on the center.

"This rune stands for invisibility," she said, handing the charm to him. "You should know that element well considering something you yourself posses. As long as you hold this amulet, your aura of darkness will be concealed from any means of detection. Your alignment will be invisible even as you stand in front of them." She placed her hands over his armour and all the darkness was sucked from within the metal, leaving it a bright, radiant blue that would shine even in the shade and dead of night. A dark blade formed in Maleficent's hands from the darkness she held. Its hilt and guard were completely black, as well as its thick rectangular blade, and blue flames laced with darkness at their core surrounded the blade. She handed the sword to the man.

"And the blade?" he asked.

"Make sure you are fighting some of the remaining heartless I had sent to this world when they arrive," she ordered. "During the battle, I want you to prick Kairi with the blade. Darkness from the sword's very depths shall rush into her, and I will become able to posses her. She will be trapped within the confines of her own mind while I have complete control of her actions." A portal of darkness whooshed into existence overtop of her and she disappeared. "Do not fail me Sir Sedah." Sedah sighed as she vanished before turning to look out to sea.

"Looks like the Underdrome will stay closed for a while longer," he said with a grin. A portal of darkness opened in front of him and he entered, leaving Infinity Mountain and File Island to the digidestined and good natured digimon.

* * *

Keys and Kairi immediately felt Maleficent's departure and reacted with high spirits as they and the other digidestined moved into the shelter of the woods.

"So what's up Keys?" Matt asked, looking back and seeing his smile. "A minute ago you and Kairi were looking over your shoulders as if we'd be attacked, and now you both look as if you don't have a care in the world."

"Yeah," Tai added with his hands behind his head. "What's with the mood swings?"

"Well if you must know," Keys said. "We just felt Maleficent leave this world, so we're safe from the threat of instant annihilation." The others stopped dead and Keys and Kairi with their partners continued to move forward past them, grinning at their stunned faces.

"You aren't serious are you?" Joe asked, pushing his slipping glasses up on his nose. "Tell me you aren't serious."

"Ah come on Joe," Kairi said, looking back at him. "You saw us fight her up close," her voice fell and she looked down. "You saw how close we were to getting beat." She was silent for a second before spotting Menelmon walking next to her. Her partner digimon looked up at her and smiled. Kairi knelt down and hugged the blue bird digimon. "If you hadn't digivolved Menelmon I don't know what would have happened."

"Aw Kairi," the female digimon replied from within Kairi's arms. "I'm here to protect you. I wouldn't be a very good digimon partner if I let you get hurt badly."

"And your champion form was amazing Aiwemon," Keys said as the rookie flew onto his shoulder. "Digimon are even more amazing than anything else I've seen, period." Aiwemon smiled and hid his face under his wing.

"Ah thanks Sora," he said bashfully, thinking it very high praise indeed. Keys laughed slightly and the others rushed to catch up with him and Kairi.

"So, just what all have you seen?" Izzy asked. Keys brought his head up and looked through the pine boughs into the sky.

"Many things," he replied, trying to remember it all. "Fairies, mermaids, satyrs, okay only one satyr, his name's Phil, he's a nice guy. Wonder if he's still calling me a Junior Hero even though Donald, Goofy, and I have a constellation? Gods and Demi Gods, wizards and warriors, Kings and Queens, holiday icons, storybook characters, a prince cursed into a beast, pirates, princesses," he stopped speaking and lightly kissed Kairi on the cheek as he said this word and she blushed a little, "talking lions, computer programs, dragons, a genetic experiment, a genie, and most recently before coming here, a talking tree." He turned his head and looked at the group, who had all stopped again while they continued walking. "Impressed?" He laughed as they nodded weakly.

"It isn't all fun and games though," Kairi added bitterly. "When we aren't making friends on other worlds, or relaxing or training for a brief period, we're fighting heartless and nobodies on our mission to bring down Maleficent and end the oppressive darkness that is starting to consume the universe." She looked up into the lit sky, glad that she couldn't see stars just yet, so she couldn't watch them vanish. "We can't see them now, but each star in the sky, regardless of what science tells us, is really another world with its own people, customs, and history. We've only glanced at a handful, and they're as varied as they are numerous, despite the constant similarities between them, the city London for instance shows up quite a lot. But when a star vanishes, it means that the heartless have taken the heart of the world, and corrupted it with darkness." She summoned the Oathkeeper into her hands as Menelmon fluttered out of her arms.

"Sora might have told you that the keyblade defeats heartless and releases their captive hearts, when the hearts haven't been utterly destroyed by the darkness within them as is the case with shadows and neoshadows. If he hasn't, well now you know. But the keyblade is called the keyblade because of its distinctive look and its ability to lock or unlock almost any lock or gateway, including the keyhole to the heart of a world. Sealing it prevents the heartless from taking its heart. I sealed the keyhole to the last world we were still at this morning, and despite the friends we made there, I can't say I had much fun because of something that happened early this morning."

"What happened?" Mimi asked as she and the others rushed back up. Kairi glanced her head towards the other girl.

"An army of natives tried to rape me before executing us," she said calmly.

"You two were sentenced to death!" Menelmon cried, looking between them. Keys nodded.

"Actually, that was the thirteenth time I'd been captured, and the sixth time they had tried to kill me," he said lightly, counting off of his fingers. By now, the other digidestined and digimon had stopped becoming stunned to the point of speechlessness and began pressing both of them for more details about everything as they approached a forest spring and waterfall pool.

"But Kairi," Sora asked, looking at Kairi after at least an hour or two of talking and learning their back stories, keeping the details about their home's destruction to a minimum, "why were you telling Gennai not to call you the seventh princess of heart?" Keys and Kairi looked down at their feet.

"Because of a prophecy," Kairi answered.

"A prophecy?" Gabumon asked. They both nodded their heads.

"_The heart of light of a knight of great valor," _Kairi recited. "_The Seventh Princess of Heart shall win."_

"_Of the child of their love's endeavor, Light of Evil's bane lies within," _Keys finished.

"Well, that doesn't seem so bad," Tai said. Keys brought his head up sharply and looked at the goggle-headed leader.

"Think about it Tai," he said. "If Kairi is the seventh, then that means that some knight is going to fall in love with her. And then the two of them will have a child who is going to defeat evil once and for all."

"I see," Sora said in sad realization. "Keys," she asked hesitantly, "you aren't a knight are you?" He shook his head dismally and Kairi began speaking.

"And even if he does become a knight," she said, "he somehow needs to lose the darkness within his heart. Sora's already proven he's valiant so he's got that covered. And then it will be our child that will be fighting evil, and we don't want to have him or her put through that."

"But, haven't both of you thrived on the fighting?" Matt asked. "And what about all the friends you've made on other worlds? If it is you, then your kid will have that chance too."

"Forgot about that," Keys said, stroking his chin. "But as long as we're in denial saying it _isn't_ Kairi and deciding on Alice instead because she's youngest, we can rest easy and not worry about it. But weren't we going to have something to eat?" Tai nodded, looking down humorously at his rumbling stomach.

* * *

Maleficent stepped out of the portal into her planning room within the fortress of Bara-dûr, smiling at the fact that her plans were starting to fall into place. Nixion was sitting on a chair at the table and looking at the heartless register. He looked up at his master's entrance and got out of his chair, snapping to attention.

"Progress report," Maleficent ordered, moving to get to her chair. Before Nixion could begin speaking a great booming voice sounded throughout the room.

"Maleficent!" the voice of Sauron bellowed. "You are late! You said two, not three days. I have had a host of orcs destroyed by this menace of a creature since he arrived and impatiently waited for your late arrival."

"What creature would that be?" Maleficent asked, peering out of her window into the fiery red depths far below her section of the great black fortress. A jet plane suddenly shot up vertically from the ground and transformed into a robot. The robot grabbed onto the balustrades in front of her window and looked accusingly at her.

"Are you Maleficent?" he asked. The Sorceress nodded her head.

"Yes," she replied quickly. "Who would be asking?" The robot released one of his hands from the fortress and placed it over his metallic chest.

"My name is Starscream," he said. "I am a Decepticon, and I served my master, Megatron, in his efforts to take over the galaxy until he recently met his demise with the help of one of your enemies, Riku I believe his name was."

"And what does my former apprentice have to do with this?" Maleficent asked, placing a long-nailed finger to her chin.

"I wish to exact my revenge upon this boy," Starscream said. "And I offer my services to you to help you in your own efforts." Maleficent cracked a smile and cackled evilly for a moment. An orb of darkness flowed off of her and she struck Starscream in the center of his chest with it.

"Welcome to my Organization Starscream," she said as Starscream laughed while he felt the rush of dark powers within him. "If it would please you, you may be my personal bodyguard and envoy." A formation of jet heartless appeared behind him and started circling the tower of Bara-dûr while he continued to laugh as he swung himself through the window and into her planning room, barely fitting comfortably inside.

"I would be honored my Queen," he said, kneeling down onto one knee. He brought his head up and looked at Nixion in confusion. "And who is this inferior mortal?" he asked arrogantly. Nixion glared at the Decepticon with narrowed eyebrows.

"This is my second in command and commander-in-chief of my forces," Maleficent said, "Nixion." The Nobody nodded and turned his head to look at his master.

"I believe I was going to give you a progress report," he said coldly, glancing with hardened eyes at the transformer in a flicker of movement. Maleficent nodded her head at her servant and he picked up the register and placed it before Maleficent.

"As you can see," he said, running his finger down the list. "Pete has proved himself useful, for once, as per your instructions. Our count of total Charr heartless currently exists at ten thousand, a perfect corps of shock troops while their ranks continue to increase as a reserve base. It looks like Pete struck gold heading north instead of sticking near our dear Cossex's homeland of Ascalon."

"What of your attack on the Radiant Garden?" Maleficent inquired. Nixion smiled.

"The Radiant Garden has declared war. My attack group was repelled by Princess Naminé and Sir Roxas," he said. "They managed to take out the Razgriz I turned into a heartless with the help of a squadron of fighter planes." Maleficent slammed her fist on the table and glared at Nixion, anger seething from her eyes as green fire erupted around her.

"You fool!" she roared. "Do you know what you have done bringing the Razgriz into this?" Nixion nodded his head, confused at his master's aggression.

"Yes," he replied. "The Razgriz is said to be the harbinger of men's doom, a demon raining death and destruction upon the land."

"As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land," Maleficent corrected angrily, knowing the tale in full. "And then it dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns, as a great hero!" She threw her arm out in front of her in emphasis and sent a ball of dark green fire at her CiC. Nixion raised a shield made entirely out of electric bolts onto his forearm and blocked the fire attack in an explosion.

"By turning the Razgriz into a heartless you ensured it returning to become a champion of the light," Maleficent snarled.

"Then we'll just kill it when it reveals itself," Nixion argued. "Then it won't be a problem and it could demoralize our enemies."

"No one knows the form Razgriz will take as a hero," Maleficent countered. "It is impossible to discern just how to conquer it." Nixion folded his arms over his chest as his electric shield vanished within him.

"The power of Sin from my destroyed world was great," he said. "Even when summoners reached Sin and used the final summoning to defeat it, Sin possessed the Aeon that defeated it and rebuilt itself around the Final Aeon."

"Yes," Maleficent whispered to herself, her anger slowly abating as she stroked her chin. "The Final Aeon _is_ a powerful being. Perhaps I may be able to form the heart of your world into the heartless of the greatest of Aeons. But that may need study and experimentation first." She shook her head slightly and looked back up at Nixion. "Anything else to report?"

"Only one more item," Nixion replied. "I probed the worlds and located the traitor Cossex. She is on the Destiny Islands. What she is doing there instead of Ascalon and why is beyond me. Should I have her brought to justice?" Maleficent shook her head.

"No," she ordered. "Let Cossex be. If she should choose to fight against us, she will be crushed by our powers. You are far superior to her." Nixion laughed emotionlessly as he began to contemplate a demise for her that he would likely be the one to act out. Maleficent turned away from him and moved past Starscream to look at her star maps.

"Come here Nixion," she said, her voice edging on an order. The Nobody nodded and moved close to her right hand, looking at the maps as well. They had a small cluster of worlds under their control in the north-western section of the galaxy, while the majority of the worlds they had vacated were situated far in the east. Black spots where worlds had been existed randomly, scattered throughout the whole galaxy.

"I want you to send a force to Twilight Town tomorrow," Maleficent declared, pointing at the blue dot. "And to then dispatch heartless to take control of Gaul, Atlantis, Ant Island, Earth Echo, and Yuktobania. If you can, sway them to our cause, and if not, bring them into obedience." Nixion nodded and left the room. Starscream shifted uncomfortably and looked at his new master.

"Forgive me for questioning your motions Maleficent," he said. "But why are you mobilizing to make enemies?" Maleficent turned her head and looked up at the Decepticon.

"Because they must at least try to defeat me before I crush them all," she reasoned. "Otherwise, they wouldn't be spent and could rise up against me at any moment. If they fight and lose all of their resources in the process, King Mickey will have burned out everything and I will ultimately be victorious."

* * *

Kairi was sitting by the waterfall pool that night, a little away from T.K. while he rubbed his digiegg anxiously, hoping that it would hatch quickly. The sounds of the digimon expressing how good their dinner had been wafted over to her and Kairi sighed as Menelmon and Keys walked over to her.

"Hey, what's wrong Kai?" Keys asked, sitting down next to her. Kairi turned her head and looked into his blue eyes in apprehension.

_Should I tell him?_ She thought. _I don't want to worry Sora, but then, maybe the time has come to worry about it._

"I was thinking about the battle today," Kairi answered, looking away from Keys as she started to shiver slightly just thinking about it. "Remember what happened when Devimon first attacked us? And my light, it…" she stopped as Keys brought her into a hug. She hugged him back while his hands and arms comforted her, one placed softly against the back of her head, the other in the small of her back.

_How powerful has Maleficent grown then?_ Kairi thought. _If a shred of her power given to a dark digimon could overcome my light, is there a hope for us?_

"We'll beat her Kai," Keys said softly while he embraced her and shimmering shafts of light appeared around them, soothing their minds. "We have to beat her, otherwise the worlds are doomed."

"Not just the worlds," Kairi added, breaking the hug slightly and looking him in the eyes. Her eyes shimmered slightly in fear. "If we don't defeat her, the both of us are doomed." Menelmon wrapped a wing around Kairi's back and the girl turned, forgetting that the little blue rookie was there.

"Don't worry Kairi," she said, smiling sweetly as Aiwemon flew over to them. "Even if we have to fight all the evil digimon in the digital world, Aiwemon and I will always make sure that we won't lose you and Keys." Kairi smiled and turned to envelop her partner in a hug.

_How could I forget about them?_ She thought. _All our friends… together with them we can overcome any evil force. We proved that today. As long as we keep fighting, even if we only have a false hope of winning, a miracle can happen that will bring everything into balance._

"Thanks Menelmon," Kairi said, breaking off the hug and looking into the kind brown eyes of her partner. "I know that Sora and I can count of you two." The little rookie smiled and nodded and Kairi turned her head at Tai's voice to look at the main group of digidestined and digimon, centered around a fire and sitting on logs as benches.

"Well now that are stomachs are full thanks to Matt and Keys' superb cooking," the two boys smiled and nodded at each other, neither knowing previously that the other was a good cook and both being good for almost the same reason. "What are we going to do next?"

"You know what's next," Sora said, looking at the goggle-headed leader from her spot. "We have to go to Server to defeat Gennai's enemies." Izzy looked up slightly from his laptop computer where he was looking at the map.

"Well according to my calculations of latitude and longitude," he began, "I'd say that Server is quite some distance from here."

"I can't even swim across the bathtub, let alone an ocean," Mimi said sadly. "I'll never make it."

"Why do we even have to go anyway?" Joe asked. "Devimon's gone from the Island. The black gears have disappeared too. We've been once around the island so we pretty much know where everything is. We wouldn't have to worry about food or water." Kairi's own face hardened as she listened to Joe talk. Sure he was sounding responsible, wanting to stay on File Island where he knew the land and it was safe.

"What are you trying to say Joe?" Sora asked blankly, unable like most of the kids were to grasp what he was saying.

"Why should we believe what this weirdo Gennai guy says?" Joe asked. "What I mean is: how do we know that this place 'Server' really exists?"

"Well we should believe Gennai because he says he's in trouble," Keys said before Kairi could speak. "And he knows about both Kairi and me. So if he knows the current state of the worlds, and he's asking us to help him out while telling us that there are artifacts on the continent that will help us out, not just Kairi, Menelmon, Aiwemon, and me, but _all_ of us, then I say we should go."

"And you guys can go off into more danger anytime you want," Tai said appreciatively, standing up and looking at Kairi and Keys. "But for the rest of us, we'll never get home if we hang around here."

"I don't know Tai," Sora said quietly, looking down at her shoes. "Devimon almost got us. Maybe we shouldn't go; at least we know what we're up against over here."

"Fear of the unknown plagues us all," Kairi said, looking over at the other girl. Sora looked up and turned her head to look into Kairi's eyes. She backed her head down a little and bowed it slightly. "I know I'm scared before I go to every new world," Kairi admitted. "I was afraid to come here too, but I kept it buried because there's something I've learned since I've started adventuring with Sora." She turned her head and smiled into Keys' blue orbs.

"What I've learned is that with every new place there are new enemies, new challenges, and new threats." She turned away and placed her arm around Menelmon. "But there are also new friends and adventures waiting in store, and that can make all the difference between a good trip and a bad one." Menelmon looked up at her and smiled while everyone else looked at the eldest digidestined kindly.

"I've already classed this shot to the digital world as good even though it isn't far from over, at least for me," Kairi continued. "Devimon might have gained a shred of Maleficent's power and we even encountered her as she revealed less than a tithe of her own power to us. But meeting all of you and joining up with our digimon partners has probably been the best thing that has happened to us yet." Kairi turned her head and looked at Keys as he began speaking.

"Apart from finally hooking up," he said, his eyes twinkling and glazed over while he deeply gazed into hers. Kairi smiled and rewarded him with a chaste kiss. Izzy closed his laptop and finally looked up at the group.

"I'm sure you two would be able to handle the danger," he said, looking at Keys and Kairi. "But even if we wanted to go what mode of transportation could we utilize? We could use a switching out method with the digimon between flying and riding on Ikkakumon, but it would still be too far for that to be practical." Kairi nodded her head as her smile drooped down.

_That's right, how would we even get there? I can't really create a portal since I haven't been there before and don't really know how to make ones that will take me to places I haven't been yet._

"We don't even know what the fashions are like on Server," said Mimi. Kairi gave the girl a half-smile.

"Mimi, I think it's safe to say that we're the only humans on this world," she said kindly. "So you won't really need to worry about making a fashion statement." Tai and Keys laughed slightly and Mimi frowned at the goggle-headed leader.

"I don't know," Matt said. "Maybe we should stay on File Island a little longer and think this through."

"Let's go!" Kairi gasped as she heard the smallest digidestined's voice and turned her head to see him gazing at Tai in determination.

"We don't know what kind of danger will be waiting for us, but let's see!" T.K. exclaimed before looking down and rubbing his digiegg. "I'm sure Angemon would say the same thing if he were still around. So I'm going!"

"We'll go too!" Agumon said, stepping into the firelight. "If we have the tags and crests, we'll be able to digivolve again right?" He looked up at Tai and smiled. "Once we transform into our new shapes we'll be able to protect you for sure. And until then I'm sure Kairi and Keys will be able to help us keep you all safe."

"You the Mon," Tai said appreciatively, looking down at his partner with warm blue eyes. Kairi smiled as she watched each of the digimon quickly convince their partners to go.

_Digimon really are amazing,_ she thought. _Or maybe it's the special bond we all share with them._

"All right it's unanimous," Izzy said, standing up.

"Great," Tai said. "It's decided. We're going to Server." Kairi looked up slightly and smiled at the star-filled sky, trying to find the one that she knew was the Radiant Garden. She turned her head and looked at Keys.

"Guess we should let Roxas and Naminé know that we're both alright," she said. Keys nodded and she dove into her mind.

* * *

Kairi stood on her platform and barely spared a glance at the image on the stained glass. She and Sora were standing together on it, herself in the forefront while Sora stood slightly behind her. Blue cloaks were clasped around their necks and Sora's left arm was metal as it wrapped around her waist. They were standing in the middle of a field with the ocean far in front of them. And in the ocean was a large island that looked remotely like the one on the Destiny Islands. Two horses, one chestnut and the other white, were running free in the field and a white light was shining from beyond the island on the horizon. Their faces were not visible, only their backs were able to be seen as they gazed forward into a setting Sun. Blue circles and a heart surrounded the edge of the pattern, waves lacing around the circles throughout the edge. Sora's face was within the heart, and Riku's, Naminé's, Roxas', Max's and Menelmon's were within the circles.

"Naminé," Kairi called, looking at Naminé's circle. Her blonde twin faded in and looked at Kairi.

"Meeting time?" she asked. Kairi nodded her head and felt that she was slipping away from her platform as she shifted onto the golden one. Herself and Naminé were standing there, and a moment later Sora and Roxas appeared, quickly followed by Riku.

"So, how did being captured again suit you two?" Riku asked as their chairs appeared and they all sat down.

"Let's just say it didn't suit _them_ too well," Sora said, looking at his best friend with a smile. "But what about you and Yuffie? You make up with her yet?" Riku shook his head and a sly grin appeared on his face.

"I'll do that when we reach the world we are heading for on Monday," he said. "It's further into the galaxy than we've ever gone before, and despite the extra engines you guys added with Max, it's taking forever to get there." He shook his head a bit before looking at the rest of them. "So that's been my day, apart from watching Max play video games and feeling bad about myself for what I put Yuffie through. How about you guys?"

"I was stuck in the castle in the Radiant Garden in what had been the King's study," Naminé said exhaustedly. Sora and Kairi raised their eyebrows at her and she smiled apologetically at her sister. "I was reading and signing official documents all day. It's a good thing I only have about one more day of the stack, then I'll be able to go outside and get some fresh air." Roxas laughed and smirked at her.

"Then you'll be able to be with me," he said knowingly. He leaned back slightly in his chair and placed his hand behind his golden covered head. "I did an interview with the hosts of Wartime Battlewatch and stayed in studio to watch the part of the recording of the battle that they're showing for the pilot episode, which airs on Thursday by the way. Oh yeah, we need to get those spherecams to both of your groups so they can record some of the action."

"Wait," Sora said, confused as he scratched his head. "What's Wartime Battlewatch?" Roxas looked over at his brother.

"It's a new show coming out," he said. "Basically it will be like a news broadcast that is wholly centered on the war against Maleficent, will feature interviews with key people on our side such as me," he jabbed his right thumb at himself while he smirked, "and it will show clips from battles that have been fought across the worlds between us and the heartless. So until we can get you guys cams, the people won't be able to see any of you in action. They just sent out two spherecams to Disney Castle today, one of which will hopefully be sent to the _Highwind_, and one was sent to Twilight Town yesterday in case they officially decide to go to war." Roxas turned his head and looked up again as he remembered the rest of his day. "And oh yeah, I spent some time with Chopper on the air base during his down-time and now I have _Blurry_ by Puddle of Mud stuck in my head." Kairi laughed and looked at the boy.

"Well it's too bad for the viewers that we got into a battle today," she said with sparkling eyes. "Because Maleficent made an appearance, as well as the battle being centered on creatures none of us had ever seen before."

"Who cares about them?" Riku asked as he stood up in shock and stared at Kairi with fear. "Maleficent," he asked quietly. "You fought _her_?" Sora and Kairi nodded slowly.

"With our friends," Sora said, moving his hand to touch a small white device clipped to his belt loop that no one had yet noticed. Kairi touched her own digivice on her skirt.

"And we lost," Kairi said, looking down at the digivice. "But we're okay, thanks to our special friends."

"Kairi who are you talking about?" Naminé asked.

"Naminé," Sora asked quickly. "You can have us all on this platform because we're all connected, well can you bring others who are connected to our hearts in here as well?" Naminé was taken aback slightly by the abruptness of his question but she shakily nodded her head.

"Yes," she said, before her voice gained in strength. "Yes, I'm sure I can."

_Good,_ Kairi thought, _because I really want you to meet her._ Naminé turned her head inquisitively at Kairi.

_Meet who?_ She asked.

"I want you to bring in the two birds that are Sora's and my platforms," Kairi said. Naminé closed her eyes and a white light started to shimmer in the center of the platform. The light began to take form while Roxas and Riku looked at it with interest. The light suddenly surged and flashed and Aiwemon and Menelmon suddenly appeared overtop of the image of the Kingdom Key. Kairi smiled at the two rookies while they looked around anxiously at their new surroundings.

"What's going on?" Menelmon said quickly while the others looked apprehensively at the two digimon. The female rookie spotted Sora and Kairi and made a beeline for them with Aiwemon just behind her. Naminé, Roxas, and Riku yelped in surprise as the two ran towards their partners, unaware that they were friends.

"Kairi, Keys," Menelmon cried as she flew into Kairi's outstretched arms and buried her blue head in the folds of Kairi's black shirt while the girl sat in her chair. "What's happening? Where are we?"

"Um Sora," Roxas said as Aiwemon stood in front of the boy with chocolate hair. "Why did that bird just call you 'Keys'?" Sora smiled at his brother and knelt down while he sat to pat Aiwemon's nervously shaking head. Kairi smiled sympathetically at Menelmon and rubbed the little rookie's back soothingly.

"Don't worry Menelmon," she said softly. "Everything's all right. We're just in a special place where Sora and I can talk to our family no matter where we are." Menelmon removed her head from Kairi's shirt and looked back behind her at Roxas, Naminé, and Riku.

"Your family?" Aiwemon asked, turning his head around too as he heard too. "But didn't you say that Maleficent had your parents killed?" Sora nodded his head sadly.

"Yes we did Aiwemon," he said. "But that doesn't mean that our family died with them. All our friends and my twin brother and Kairi's twin sister are our family." Menelmon looked up happily at Kairi and smiled.

"So that means we're family too," she said excitedly. Kairi smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around her partner again.

_That's right Menelmon,_ she thought. _Even though I just met you I know that we're already very close._ _And I won't lose any more of my family to that witch and the powers of darkness again, I won't._ Kairi heard Naminé clearing her throat and looked at her.

"Well Kairi," she asked. "Aren't you and Sora going to introduce us?"

"Yes," she replied before Sora could speak up. "Menelmon, this is my twin sister Naminé, Sora's twin brother Roxas, and our best friend Riku." Each of them gave some motion of indication as she spoke their names.

"Same for you Aiwemon," Sora said before looking out. "Riku, Naminé, Roxas, these are our digimon partners, Aiwemon and Menelmon." Riku frowned.

"Your what partners?" he asked.

"Digimon," Menelmon replied, choosing that the best person to explain would be a digimon. "Digital Monsters."

"Digital Monsters?" Roxas asked, scratching his head with his right arm. "So, are you guys like, data or something?" Menelmon and Aiwemon nodded their heads.

"They're kind of like Tron," Sora explained. "Except that they're much more than that. Digimon are real creatures that exist happily in the digital world, which is where Kairi and I are right now."

"And Aiwemon and I are special," Menelmon said. "Because we're Keys and Kairi's partners and they're digidestined."

"Can you elaborate please Kairi?" Naminé asked, just as confused as the other two. Kairi smirked at her sister.

"One, Sora's been nicknamed by our gang of digidestined Keys because there is already a Sora in the group and he's the master of the keyblade. That way we don't have the confusion between her and him."

"And Two," Sora continued. "The digidestined are a group of human children who have been transported to the digital world from their own to fight a dark force that is taking over the digital world. Kairi and I seem to be included with the seven of them because we got digivices." He unclipped his digivice from his belt and tossed it to Roxas, where it bounced off the cast on his left arm. "There are nine of us, but the first seven all showed up at the same time and they seemed to have known each other a little before they all got to the digital world. There's Tai Kamiya, our leader, Sora Takenouchi, the girl whose name has given rise to my nickname, Matt Ishida, Izzy Izumi, Joe Kido, Mimi Tachikawa, and T.K. Takaishi, Matt's little brother."

"The digivices allow our digimon partners to digivolve," Kairi explained as Roxas showed Sora's digivice to the other two. "That's when they change shape into a more powerful form. And all the digivolutions seem pretty cool. Izzy probably knows a lot more than we do because he seems to be the resident genius and computer whiz, plus he seems to have been thinking a lot about it all since he got to the digital world."

"And the digital world has been in trouble," Aiwemon said. "Black gears were showing up all around File Island turning good digimon into bad ones, and Devimon was the cause of them."

"Devimon?" Naminé asked. "Another digimon? I'm guessing so because of the 'mon' at the end of his name. What does he look like?" Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but then she got another idea. She started thinking about Devimon, and just what he looked like, and a holographic image of him appeared in the center of the platform, rotating around slowly on the spot.

"Ugly bastard," Riku snarled as Kairi let the image fade away.

"We fought and defeated Devimon earlier today," Sora said while Riku tossed his digivice back to him. "But even with all of our strength it still required T.K.'s partner Patamon, who digivolved into Angemon, to sacrifice himself to do it. But Angemon reverted into a digiegg after the battle, so as soon as he hatches T.K. will have his partner back."

"Digimon never really die Sora," Aiwemon said, looking up at his partner. "We just get our data reconfigured and return as a digiegg in Primary Village."

"That's good to know," Kairi said, placing a hand over her heart. "Especially with us now going to Server to fight Gennai's enemies, which are even stronger than Devimon."

"Don't worry Kairi," Menelmon said as she fluttered onto Kairi's shoulder within the chair. "You heard what Agumon said. Once we get the tags and crests, we'll be able to digivolve to an even higher level, and you and Keys will get new powers too to help out the worlds." Kairi smiled and looked at her partner.

"Will you come with us?" she whispered to the little rookie. "When Sora and I have found our crests we'll probably leave the digital world. Will you and Aiwemon come too?" Menelmon frowned at her.

"Kairi isn't that a stupid question?" she asked. "What use would the crests be to us if we stayed behind in the digital world? We wouldn't be able to help out the other digidestined and we'd be worried sick about the both of you. You're stuck with us." Kairi smiled and turned her head to look at the others again.

"And it seems that you'll be meeting both our partners in person at some point down the road," she said. "They're coming with us when we leave the digital world."

"Cool," Naminé said, nodding her head. "So do you think we could see what digivolving is?" Menelmon fluttered off of Kairi's shoulder and Aiwemon hopped from Sora's lap onto the platform.

"You sure Aiwemon?" Sora asked. "You have enough energy so you won't exhaust yourself?" The bird digimon looked back at him with his green eyes.

"Just a quick one Sora," he said as a bright light started to emanate from him and Menelmon.

"Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon."

"Menelmon digivolved to, Soronmon." Riku, Roxas, and Naminé gasped as they looked at the warrior and giant eagle. Soronmon flew higher into the black sky while Ohtarmon shouldered his feathered mace.

"You certainly are bigger," Roxas said, standing up and moving towards Ohtarmon. The champion level chuckled at Roxas as the boy circled around him. "And you've lost your wings."

"Yeah, I can't fly anymore," Ohtarmon replied gruffly. "But I'm not too concerned; I still have a ranged attack."

"If it wasn't for Aiwemon and Menelmon digivolving to protect us Sora and I would have been pretty hurt," Kairi said as both of the champion level digimon reverted into their rookie forms. "Devimon was breaking Sora's reflega shield with his massive fist when Aiwemon digivolved and Maleficent was attacking the three of us when Menelmon turned into Soronmon."

"And then the other digimon were cool too," Sora said, thinking. Images of Greymon, Garurumon, Kabuterimon, Birdramon, Ikkakumon, Togemon, and finally Angemon showed up in the platform and the others gaped at them in awe. Riku and the others nodded appreciatively at the two rookies while the holograms faded.

"Congratulations are in order then," Riku said with a warm smile. "You both stayed alive and you made friends who won't let you get killed." His smile slipped into a smirk and he inclined his head at the two digimon. "Nice meeting you both. Don't let them die," he said. "Or else, I will kill you." Aiwemon and Menelmon paled and Riku disappeared.

"Hey Keys," Menelmon cried in anxiety, flying over to where he had been. "Where did Riku go?"

"His consciousness just left this place so he could control his body again," Sora said. "For the period of time we're in here, our bodies just go slack and emotionless. At least, I think that's what happens."

"So that is what was happening to you two," Aiwemon said. "The others were worried and shaking you both slightly before you called us in here."

"Uh-oh," Kairi said, rubbing the back of her head with an apologetic smile. "Guess we'd better get back then."

"Okay," Naminé said with a sigh. "Well, it was nice meeting your partners. We'll see you both around."

* * *

_Drop a review, and check out the forum if you want to write any comments, complaints, or suggestions about the current and future titles._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	34. Conflicts

_Keys: "You know? I'm still a little confused as to why you're calling me Keys."_

_Shire: "Come on Sora, you know it's because you're the master of the keyblade and there is already a Sora Takenouchi in the digidestined."_

_Keys: "Well why didn't you just call her Sora T. or something?"_

_Shire: (Shakes head slowly) "Because frankly Sora, I've known Digimon longer than Kingdom Hearts, so I've got no clue how I would give a nickname to her."_

_Kairi: (Smiles at Sora) "But Sora, I like your nickname."_

_Riku: (Raises eyebrows inquiringly at Kairi) "I thought you had already nicknamed Sora 'Lazy Bum'?"_

_Kairi: (Shrugs) "Well, he can have two nicknames. One for the digidestined and one for me."_

_Maleficent: "Can we get on with this? I'm getting impatient for my plans to come into fruition." (Green fire laced with darkness forms in her hands and she moves threateningly towards Shire)_

_Shire: (Shakes head disapprovingly) "I gave you your new power Maleficent, and I can take it away just like that." (Snaps fingers and expectantly looks towards the fire that gloves Maleficent's palm, but it stays. Face pales and he begins running as Maleficent hurls her dark fireballs at him.)_

_Roxas: (Laughing while shaking head) "That'll teach him for messing with the evil witch. Shire Folk does not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Digimon, or any other anime or song or anything that is not his own. And Tom is owned by MrFipp."

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXIV: Conflicts

All was quiet in the early morning of the digital world on File Island. Birds were resting peacefully in the thick spruce forests, and not a sound could be heard apart from the soft falling of dew drops onto the forest floor. Underneath the canopy of the trees, many figures, small in comparison to the great spruce forest, were taking positions around the bases of many of the trees.

"Pepper Breath!" A ball of fire came from out of Agumon's mouth and crashed into the base of a tall spruce tree. Birds immediately flew into the sky at the call of his voice and the roar of the flames spouting from his mouth.

"Timber!" Tai yelled as the tree crashed to the ground.

"Blue Blaster!" Gabumon yelled, a hot blue energy ray streaming from his mouth. It struck another tree and it too fell. Keys dashed towards a tree and sliced quickly with the Oblivion. The blade went right through the trunk of the tree he attacked and Keys straightened up. He smiled as he tapped the tree trunk with his finger and it started to fall.

"At our current rate of production it will take us forever to build a raft," Izzy said in disappointment while the tree crashed to the ground near him.

"Don't worry Izzy," Sora said as she and Kairi stood next to him. "It's not like we're in any kind of hurry."

_But Sora and I are in a bit of a hurry,_ Kairi thought. _We need our crests as soon as possible_. She heard heavy footsteps behind her and turned her head to see Leomon walking towards them. Sora gave a small cry of distress as both she and Izzy turned their heads.

"Leomon!" he boy exclaimed. Kairi nodded her head slowly but couldn't help wondering why they were distressed. Wasn't Leomon on their side now? The large champion digimon walked up to them while inclining his head down to look at them.

"So I hear you are all going to Server," he said.

"Yeah," Kairi said in confusion. "But how do you know?"

"Oh you know us monsters," Leomon replied with a grin. "We all love to gossip. I thought I'd come by and see if you needed some help with anything."

"You mean you'll really help us?" Sora asked as her face shifted from anxiety to hope. Leomon nodded.

"I've got some friends who would like to help as well," he said. Leomon looked behind him and Kairi followed his gaze. A host of digimon was walking towards them. A centaur with an iron helmet over his head, a short and round yeti-like digimon, and a red and blue digimon that looked kind of like a salamander were in the forefront.

"Elecmon," Izzy greeted happily.

"Mojyamon and Centarumon too," Tai said as he saw the digimon approaching.

"Yeah. Hi!" Elecmon greeted as he walked towards them. "What's up?"

"Monzaemon," Mimi said, looking at a large yellow teddy bear digimon with a white chest.

"Hey look," T.K. said, looking at a walking snowman while he cradled his digiegg. "It's Frigimon." Joe shivered as the snowman digimon passed him by, quite close to him. T.K. turned his head around and saw a digimon in the shape of a man, except completely covered by fire also heading their way, surrounded by dozens of small pink bulbs with blue flowers over their heads and many tiny feet. "Hey it's Meramon." The small pink digimon ran past Meramon's large flaming feet and piled on Biyomon.

"Oh Yokomon," the pink bird digimon sighed happily as they covered her. Kairi looked to her right as Keys and Aiwemon came up to her.

"There certainly are a lot of different digimon," Keys said, and Kairi nodded. Leomon got into a stance in front of a line of trees with his fist held slightly behind him.

"Fist of the Beast King!" he roared, punching out in front of him. An orange head of a lion came from his fist and shot through several trees, felling them. Meramon quickly grabbed the fallen trees and burned their boughs off before flinging them into the air where they were further broken apart by Centarumon and his Solar Ray attack, fired from the palm of his hand. Keys and Kairi quickly followed the logs, now the proper size, and helped the island digimon lash them together and fit their raft with a sail. Frigimon and Monzaemon picked up the raft as all the rookie digimon piled on and flung it over a hill towards the beach. Keys laughed while they enjoyed their little bit of surfing and ran down the hill with the others as it slid into the waves.

"That was cool!" Gomamon said with a smile on his face as he looked at Joe.

"It's hydrodynamicly designed," Izzy said.

"It definitely puts the raft we built back home to shame," Keys said, smiling at their handiwork.

"I think I'm getting seasick already," Joe said uneasily, looking down at his stomach.

"Get a grip Joe," Tai said. "It will have to do." Leomon walked up from behind them and looked at the raft.

"Believe me," he said. "That raft is strong enough to get you across the ocean."

"Thanks Leomon," Kairi said. "We never could have done it without your help." The lion digimon gave her one of his rare smiles but turned his head slightly when T.K. gasped. Kairi looked over at the smallest digidestined and smiled when she saw a crack forming in the digiegg he was holding. The crack widened around the top half and it popped off, revealing one of the white jellyfish like digimon she and Keys had seen in Primary Village when they first arrived in the digital world.

"Digiegg, you hatched," T.K. said, holding the lower half of the egg with the baby digimon still inside.

"Poyo- Poyomon," the little digimon said quietly in a cute voice as it hopped out of the egg and landed in T.K.'s hands.

"How cute," Mimi squealed. T.K. spun the little digimon around and cuddled him next to his cheek.

"Poyomon is a jellyfish type digimon of few words," Tentomon said as he flew over to them. "But if his friends are in trouble, he's ready for action." Kairi grabbed Keys' arm and pulled him along with her onto the raft.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go." Tai nodded and the other digidestined followed the eldest two onto the raft. Keys unfurled the sail and Kairi pointed her hand towards it. "Aerora." Wind billowed out of her palm and filled the sail, pushing the craft forward.

"This is goodbye," Leomon said from the shore as they set out. "And good luck." They all waved back and called their goodbyes as the Island slowly shrunk into the distance. Kairi saw Tai pull out his pocket telescope and gaze forward through it.

"I wonder how much longer this trip will take," Kairi turned and sighed at Joe's voice.

"We just left Joe," she said. "And we're crossing an ocean; it's going to take a while."

"The salt air is killing my sinuses," he replied. "And we've only got enough food with us for two weeks."

"If we run out of food we'll catch some fish," Tai said excitedly.

"Well the one good thing is this is beautiful weather for sailing," Sora said, placing her hands on her hips and looking forward with a smile.

"Oh, I don't feel so good," Mimi said with her hands over her mouth as they splashed through a wave.

"I didn't calculate these waves being so rough," Izzy moaned as he lay down on the deck. Kairi saw Keys look back at them out of the corner of her eye.

"Lightweights," he muttered, shaking his head. "Can't even handle a couple of waves."

"Keys," Kairi said, turning to look at him. She grinned when he looked startled at her using his nickname. "You have to forgive them, they probably haven't been on a boat before and we've lived on small islands for most of our lives." Keys shrugged.

"Whatever," he muttered with a smile. His smiled dropped when he looked in front of the raft. "Tsunami!" he yelled, attracting their attention as a giant wave crashed down near the raft. Kairi found herself flung onto the deck of their raft as it was tossed around.

"That had to be twelve feet tall!" Matt exclaimed as he got himself off the deck.

"Eighteen point three to be exact," Izzy corrected.

"Was that another boat that caused that wave?" Joe asked.

"There isn't a boat that can do that," Tai said, looking around. Kairi spotted a large brown bulge starting to come out of the ocean.

"Hey look!" she exclaimed, pointing at it.

"An Island!" Tai shouted.

"Since when does and island have fins?" Keys asked as whatever it was dived. A great blue whale's tail came up out of the ocean and splashed down; sending a wave that nearly capsized their raft while flinging it into the air. The monstrous whale came out of the depths on its back and dropped back down just as their raft landed back on the waves.

"Whamon is a giant digimon that lives in the deep oceans of the digital world," Tentomon said. "It's Jet Arrows are unbelievable."

"It was massive," Gabumon said shakily. Menelmon landed on Kairi's shoulder and she looked anxiously at her partner.

"A Whamon can sometimes be fierce," Tentomon continued. "But I've never seen one act this aggressive."

"Tentomon you have never been off of File Island," Aiwemon said. "How can you have even seen a Whamon before to judge its aggressiveness?" The beetle digimon turned to the bird ashamedly.

"True, but I've heard about them," he said. "And they're generally gentle." Whamon surfaced again directly in front of them and opened its mouth, sucking them in past his large teeth.

"Great," Keys said as it darkened. "It's Monstro all over again. I never thought I'd be swallowed by a whale twice!"

"I hope we don't give him a sore throat," Sora shouted over the din as they wound their way through a large tunnel at high speed.

"Technically speaking it's not the throat; it's the esophagus that leads to the stomach!" Izzy yelled.

"So he thinks we're fast food!" Joe exclaimed.

"Oh so he really did eat us!" Mimi whined.

"Sooner or later this has to lead to an exit!" Sora yelled while they continued to speed down the tunnel.

"You don't want to go there," Izzy moaned. Large gelatinous blobs suddenly flew all around them, trying to attack the raft.

"What is that stuff?" Keys asked, the Oblivion appearing in his free hand while he held onto the mast with one arm and Kairi with the other arm.

"They must be antibodies," Izzy explained. "They're attacking us because they think we're germs or something!"

"Izzy I may not have a stomach for bio classes," Kairi yelled at the whiz, "but even I know that antibodies are produced by white blood cells in the bloodstream! We're not in the bloodstream!"

"I don't really care what they are!" Keys roared before Izzy could retaliate with a new explanation. "They aren't taking us out. Firaga!" A fireball flew out of the black tip of his keyblade and briefly illuminated them before striking one of the oozing blobs and causing it to explode. Their raft left the water suddenly as they emerged from the tunnel into a large cavernous room, which was surprisingly lit. They landed back on the water and slowed to a stop in the calm.

"Where do you suppose we are now?" Sora asked.

"Anatomically speaking this would be the stomach," Izzy said.

"The stomach?" T.K. asked, looking up at Kairi. "Isn't that where food goes after it's been chewed up?" She nodded and then looked up in surprise as liquid began being secreted into the stomach.

"Gastric juice," Izzy gasped, watching as their raft started being dissolved.

"We're melting!" T.K. cried, holding Poyomon tight. Kairi scratched her head, careful not to upset Menelmon.

"I don't see how," she said in a confused voice. "Stomach acid may be about as powerful as hydrochloric acid, but that doesn't even take down wood. Maybe it just has a higher concentration than the stuff we handled in school. Like one mol/L concentration."

"Look!" Sora said, pointing up. "Black Gear!" Kairi looked up and saw one of the gears stuck in the side of Whamon's stomach.

"So that's why he was acting so aggressive," Agumon said in comprehension.

"Quick Joe," Gomamon said in encouragement. "Do something to help."

"Why me?" he asked his partner in a resigned voice. Palmon raised her hands towards the gear.

"Someone can climb on these, Poison Ivy!" Her vine-like fingers extended outwards and latched onto the gear. Kairi turned her head in confusion as Keys suddenly started laughing.

_What is Sora laughing about?_ She thought in confusion. The teen smirked and placed the Oblivion's tip down on the wooden deck of their raft.

"I am so glad that we did properties of acids and bases in those _two_ days of school we had," he said through his laugh before turning to Palmon. "There won't be need for anyone to do any heroic climbing Palmon," he said with a smile. "We'll use Whamon's own digestive system against him to get the gear."

"Huh?" the plant digimon asked as she retracted her vines. As an answer he turned to look at Kairi.

"Stomach acid," he said with a wry smile, "stomach _acid_. You see where I'm going with this Kai?" She shook her head.

"No Sora," she said slowly, "I have no clue." He sighed and pointed at the acid that was slowly dissolving their craft.

"Acids and bases are electrolytes," he explained. "Meaning they conduct electricity. Stomach acid has about the same pH of hydrochloric acid and probably very high molar concentration, making it a very strong electrolyte and wood is a good insulator against electricity."

"I get it," Izzy said brightly as his face lit up. "All we need to do is send a current though the acid and the electricity will work its way over the walls of Whamon's stomach to destroy the black gear." Keys nodded his head.

"I'm sorry if you get a bit of heartburn Whamon," he said while pointing the Oblivion's crackling tip at the liquid they were floating in. "Thunder." A small jolt of lightning siphoned off of the Oblivion and struck the stomach acid. They watched as it crackled its way off of the surface and moved up the side of Whamon's stomach until it struck the black gear. The gear dissolved into a thousand tiny black pieces. A white spray formed underneath their raft and they were suddenly shot upwards and out of the stomach.

"Where are we going now?" Mimi moaned from the deck as all became dark again.

"Honestly Mimi," Kairi replied. "I have no clue anymore." Their raft suddenly burst back into the light out of Whamon's blowhole and it broke asunder from the beating it had taken from the acid and the water pressure spraying them from below. Kairi was about to brace herself for pain for the inevitable fall into the water far below them when a green glow surrounded her. She turned her head around and looked at her legs, watching in amazement as she felt them both coming together and molding into her tail, a pink dorsal fin growing out of the back of her waist and her top shrinking into a black bikini. Kairi smiled as she watched the same transformation happening to Keys and quickly looked around at the other digidestined and digimon, none of whom were watching as they all had their eyes closed. Kairi flipped herself around in the air so her head was pointing straight down towards the waves and stretched her arms out in front of her. She broke into the water first and dove further down with a quick kick of her tail while turning around to watch as the others all plunged into the waves. Keys dropped in stylishly in a plume of bubbles and dismissed the Oblivion while he swam down to join Kairi, earning a peck on the cheek for his magic.

"You're awesome Keys," she said with a smile, watching the others get back to the surface to cling onto driftwood out of the corner of her eye while the massive hulk of Whamon floated nearby. "You know they're going to freak out when they see us right?" Keys folded his arms and gave her a look of hurt.

"What, you won't call me 'Sora' anymore Kai?" he asked with fake hurt. Kairi giggled slightly and started to move back to the surface.

"Well we did give you the nickname," she said, swinging around to look at him while she ascended. She suddenly stopped and stared at his side with a look of horror on her face as he stared to move up to her.

_How did I not see it before?_ She asked herself, staring at him.

"Kairi?" he asked anxiously, stopping to look behind him. He looked back at her, but all Kairi could concentrate on was a thin scar that ran across his left side and slightly into view from the center of his chest.

"Kairi?" he asked again, frightened now as he came straight up in front of her, the top of his spikes just below the surface of the waves. "What is it? What's wrong?" She placed her hand unsteadily on his side and he looked down at her hand as she touched him.

"How long," she asked hesitantly, slowly removing her hand, "have you had this?" Keys sighed and looked down and away from her.

"Do you remember the scar Riku showed us at the party?" he asked. "The one he said Xemnas gave him for saving my life?" Kairi slowly nodded, the tear that was leaking off of her face being wiped away by the ocean's waters.

"Well," Keys continued. "This is the one that I got from the simulator Xemnas for saving your life."

"But, didn't we heal you of that?" Kairi asked. "With Riku's potions and all the spells we must have-"

"It isn't like that," Keys said, interrupting her. "Xemnas' aerial blades cauterized that wound as soon as he made it. It would heal all right, and I don't even notice the scar, but that scar will remain for all time, as will Riku's. We're just lucky the whip wounds we both got and the small wounds Nixion and Cossex gave me didn't scar either." He shook his head and looked up slightly, hearing voices calling their names. "Come on; let's let them know we're okay." Kairi nodded, but look back at Key's scar once more.

_He's done so much for love and freedom,_ she thought. _And he's lost so much in the fight against darkness. Now he bears the marks of his love forevermore. How many more scars will he get, and will I end up with scars from this war too?_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts and was about to kick her tail when Gomamon suddenly swam up to the two of them, his expression showing that he was clearly in a state of confused shock.

"Uh guys?" he said to the two of them as they noticed him behind them. "How do you both have fins?" Kairi giggled and kicked her tail to zoom up and broke her head through the waves. She shook the water out of her auburn hair and cringed slightly as Menelmon flew at her, her face filled with worry.

"Kairi where have you been?" the bird digimon exclaimed as Keys' and Gomamon's heads popped out of the waves next to hers. "We've worried so much, we thought you were both gone."

"I found them guys," Gomamon called. "They were just below the surface."

"Hey good on both of you!" Tai called from a piece of driftwood. "You guys can tread water pretty well. But Keys, what happened to your shirt?" Keys chuckled slightly while wading in the waves and simply brought his arms up behind his head while Aiwemon landed upon it.

"Sorry about everything," a deep voice that resonated from Whamon said. "I must have had a tummy ache or something."

"Don't worry about it," Sora called from her log next to Biyomon. "It was a black gear that was controlling you. But we took care of it."

"I'll bet that's the last one of them," Tai said.

"How much to bet you're wrong?" Joe challenged from next to Gomamon, who was swimming comfortably next to him after having swam back to his partner.

"Thanks kids," Whamon said. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it Whamon," Keys said. "It was our pleasure. By the way, do you know how far it is to Server?"

"Yes, it would take me five days to swim to Server," he said. "But I'll make that three and a half without traffic. Why? Are you going to Server?"

"Well we were trying to." Agumon said.

"Don't worry," Whamon replied. "I'll take you there myself. It's not every day your lunch saves your life."

"Hooray!" Mimi yelled in excitement, lifting her arms up over her head to express how happy she was. With her arms gone though, Mimi plunged down into the water. Kairi quickly swam over to her and grabbed Mimi before Palmon did and helped her onto the log she had been floating on. Mimi coughed up some water and looked at Kairi in wonder.

"How did you get over here so fast?" she asked. Kairi just smiled and blushed slightly while she raised her salmon coloured tail out of the water. The digidestined and digimon gasped at the appendage and Joe rounded on Gomamon.

"Why didn't you tell us they had fins?" he asked heatedly. Gomamon raised his claws above his head and bent his head down slightly.

"Hey, I could barely believe it myself. Would you all have believed me even if I told you?" Joe slumped his head down and muttered an audible no while Kairi and Keys laughed. Whamon dove down and rose up under them, bringing everyone high and dry onto the top of his brown head. Keys and Kairi lay down on their backs to start tanning with their tails draped in front of them while everyone else simply gaped at them for a moment before shaking their heads. They didn't understand, and likely only Izzy would be able to.

"This is great," Sora said as the wind moved through the revealed tufts of her ginger hair.

"It sure is a whole lot smoother and safer than that raft," Izzy conceded.

"Which means I won't get seasick," Mimi said, voicing the same opinion as Izzy.

"Humph," Keys scoffed affectionately, moving his head to look at the gang as they stood around, "lightweights." Mimi turned her head and gave him a disapproving glare.

"Now if we could only find those Tags and Crests that Devimon hid somewhere," Tai spoke up. "Then we'd really be in the clear."

"Did you say 'Devimon'?" Whamon asked. Kairi arched her back so she was looking down at the whale instead of up at the sky.

"What?" she asked. "You know that creep?"

"Well I don't know anything about Tags or Crests," Whamon said quickly. "But a while ago, Devimon hid something, deep on the bottom of the ocean."

"Can you tell us where?" Tai asked.

"It's on the way to Server," Whamon explained, "and it's actually quite close by. You can all ride inside me and I'll take you there. But no tickling. Just climb down into my blowhole and follow the tunnel into my lung. I promise I won't drown any of you with water or accidentally bring you up. I'm a much better digimon than that."

"Thanks Whamon," Sora said appreciatively, patting his head before moving over to the blowhole. Aiwemon and Menelmon walked over to the sunbathing teenagers anxiously.

"Are you guys coming with us?" Aiwemon asked. Keys waved his hand indifferently.

"Nah," he said. "We'll try swimming with Whamon. Then we'll join you." Their digimon nodded and flew down the blowhole after the others while Whamon began to dive. Kairi felt the water touch her tail and slid into the waves. She kicked her appendage and propelled herself forward next to Whamon.

"What's this?" he asked with a chuckle. "Two of you kids can swim like dolphmon?"

"For the moment Whamon," Keys said with a smile. "Kairi and I _are_ half dolphin."

"Well," the giant digimon replied kindly. "I hope your dolphin tails can keep up with me." Kairi kicked her tail harder and shot forward through the water like a missile. She turned around on her back and kept swimming with her arms behind her head and she passed Whamon.

"What?" she asked sweetly as she continued to move ahead of him while Keys simply kept pace with the whale digimon. "You mean like this?" Whamon chuckled at her.

"Hey, cut that out. It isn't nice to make fun of your elders."

* * *

Tidus ambled down the Station Heights of Market Street in Twilight Town, one letter left in his hand as he approached a woman with curly brown hair wearing a white shirt and a skirt with slanting, alternating yellow and purple bands. He handed the letter to the woman and she nodded approvingly at him. 

"Good job," she said. "You Islanders are very nice people, and quite handy to have around." She sighed and shook her head while Tidus rubbed the back of his head in a slightly embarrassed way. "I swear, sometimes I can't even get the local kids to lend a hand. Well, here's your pay for helping me out." She handed him numerous small beads that totaled in at fifty munny. Tidus nodded his head and placed them in his wallet.

"Thanks," he said. The woman smiled at him.

"No," she replied. "Thank you." Tidus gave her a quick smile back and turned on his heel to head down the beaten path towards the Tram Common. He smiled as the Sun's long rays of twilight struck his face and illuminated his golden hair.

_This sure is a nice place to live,_ he thought sadly. _I always liked our world, but I think I'm beginning to think of this place as home now._ He shook his head to clear his mind of thoughts of his last view of his old home, utterly broken with wisps of smoke rising from burning buildings, and turned instead into walking cheerfully into Tram Common.

"Hey Tidus!" He turned his head and saw Selphie standing with Kia, Anar, Olette, and Hayner by the candy shop in the center of the wide circular area at the northernmost section of the shopping district. Tidus smiled and made a beeline for his friends, stopping for a second to let the orange tram pass him as it wound around on its track.

"Hi guys," he said brightly. He saw that each of them had a bar of light blue ice cream in their hands and he looked inquiringly at them.

"Try it," Selphie said, holding hers out to him. Tidus took the ice cream bar and looked apprehensively at the deceptively sweet smile playing across Selphie's face. Hayner was grinning at him when he took a lick of the ice cream and suddenly hacked, putting as much distance between the treat and him.

"Urg!" he retched. "That is way too sal-". He suddenly stopped and his eyes widened in surprise as a new flavor assailed his taste buds. "What the-?" he asked uncertainly, now staring at the bar in wonder while he barely noticed those around him laughing. "Sweet? How did it get so sweet?" He swiveled his head as Hayner placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's Sea-Salt Ice Cream for yah," the blonde said, smiling.

"I reacted the same way when Pence had me try it yesterday," Anar said, giving the younger boy a grin. Tidus gave a quick bark of laughter, but his laugh died in the air at the graven look that developed on Olette's face.

"Hey Olette," Hayner asked, looking at his female friend. "What is it?"

"You aren't that perceptive are you blondie?" Hayner's expression darkened and he turned his whole body around to look at his rival.

"Seifer," the boy acknowledged, spotting Fuu, Rai, and Vivi nearby as well folding his arms. "What do you want?" The older teen crossed his muscled arms as well and disregarded Hayner's question.

"I hope you Islanders have been enjoying my town," Seifer said, his eyes proclaiming his indifference towards their plight.

"Last we checked," Kia growled. "This wasn't your town."

"Home territory," Fuu said.

"Yeah," Rai added. "We're the head honchos around here y'know?"

"Like the mayor knows anything," Seifer scoffed. "Allowing outsiders like you all to arrive." Vivi tugged on the hem of Seifer's white cape. "What?"

"Maybe we should just leave them alone Seifer," the boy said in his quiet voice, his face covered by his large hat. "They've been though a lot worse things than losing a Struggle match." Seifer glared at the boy and shoved him off.

"Hn," he grunted, closing his eyes slightly and walking off. "I'll deal with you all later," he called over his shoulder. "Just stay out of the Sandlot from now on, that's _my_ turf." Olette placed her free hand on her hip and shook her head at Seifer's retreating back.

"I just don't understand him," she said quietly before taking another lick of her ice cream.

"He seems like a bigoted jerk," Anar commented before taking a bite out of his own bar. Tidus nodded his head and reluctantly handed Selphie back her Sea-Salt Ice Cream.

_That sure is good ice cream,_ he thought in delight as he looked her over. He then noticed a few things that had changed about the girl that stood in front of him, licking her ice cream. Her brown hair, which previously she had let fall down the sides of her head and then curl up at the bottom, almost giving the impression of horns, was now tied back behind her head in a ponytail, and her white school uniform had been replaced by a brand new yellow tank top and a rosy skirt. But then, his outfit was also different with a yellow shirt and black shorts. However, his eyebrows furrowed and a small frown formed on his face when he spotted something on her shoulder.

"How's your arm Selph?" Tidus asked, spotting a small blotch of purple. Selphie looked at him in confusion for a moment before turning her head and looking at the tiny bruise.

"It mostly feels fine now," she said, shaking her head. "That Soldier didn't kick my shoulder as hard as I thought it did. But my mom still freaked when she saw it." Hayner suddenly gasped and dropped his empty ice cream stick. Tidus swiveled his head away from Selphie to look at his friend.

"And speaking of enemies," Hayner said hesitantly, "we have trouble."

"Huh?" Anar asked. Tidus followed his friend's gaze and saw many white beings floating through the air as they streamed out of a large hole in the wall at the far end of the common.

"Aren't those nobodies?" Selphie asked fearfully.

"Yeah," Hayner replied. "They had been infesting the tunnels a while ago, but Sora cleaned them out."

"I guess Maleficent or Nixion has sent them here to attack the town," Anar remarked. Tidus steeled his gaze at them and reached for the hilt of his sword, when his fingers caught nothing but air. His face went blank and he looked down at the spot where the Brotherhood should have been resting. His face paled in realization.

"Do any of you guys have weapons with you?" he asked in a squeaky voice. Immediately they all reached around as if to grab their weapon, but all of them came up with nothing.

"Crap," Kia murmured. "I left my bow and quiver at home."

"Same here," Selphie replied, deadpanned.

"Me three," Anar said. "I hope Isil has his blade with him."

"My sword and Olette's staff are in the Usual Spot," Hayner said quickly. "We'll head there first and if any of the Militia is there we'll let them know." Tidus nodded his head and quickly dashed off after Hayner. He hated running from a fight, but with no weapon he knew that he and the others were no match for the nobodies.

Screams reached his ears from behind him and he urged his legs to go faster, nearly outstripping Hayner to take the lead as they rushed over the brickwork. He heard a familiar cry behind him and skidded to a stop, turning around in fear. Selphie had been tripped by a dusk that had sprung from out of the tunnel and fell hard on the pavement. Tidus didn't know what he was doing next, his mind seemed to lose all conscious thought. He heard himself give a roar and rush at the dusk. The Nobody's mouth unzipped and it made to bite him.

_What am I doing?_ He thought as he almost watched himself duck his arm away from the bite and punch the dusk's head with an uppercut jab to the head. The dusk reeled backwards from the blow and Tidus grabbed Selphie's arm, pulling her up and running back in the direction they had been going. Hayner and the others had barely stopped when Selphie fell, and had continued running when they saw Tidus run back for the girl, so they were now farther ahead than he was. A few police moved past him and Selphie, and to his surprise they started speaking to them even as they ran like a gale.

"Get your weapons and help us clean up this mess," their captain had said quickly, raising his baton. Tidus didn't know if the officer said any more words, because if he did they were lost in the winds. People started appearing as a blur to him while the landscape turned into an ever changing myriad of golden brown colour mixed with splashes of other hues that were the panicking civilians. Somehow his feet managed to lead him into the alley while his mind was lost and he rounded the chain-link iron fence and found the red curtain already parted. Clarity returned to him as he bolted into the room and stopped short, inhaling.

_Was I even breathing that whole time?_

He panted heavily, and began to discern the faces and bodies of Hayner, Pence, Olette, Anar, Kia, Isil, Charlie, and Wakka within the Usual Spot. They were all talking animatedly, and quite forcefully, but Tidus didn't notice as he suddenly became aware of a slight tugging of his arm. He looked behind him and saw that he was still holding Selphie's arm, and clutching it tightly as if he'd never let go. His brown eyes met Selphie's green ones and he slowly started to lose himself in them.

"Tidus?" she asked, seeming abruptly to him. "Can I have my arm back?"

"Huh?" he asked a few seconds later, not quite noticing that she was speaking to him. "Oh, yeah… sure." He slowly released his grip on her arm and she slowly brought it back to her chest, Tidus' eyes following its journey as Selphie cast her head down, her eyes occasionally flicking up to look at him.

"Thanks Tidus," she said quietly, the faintest of pink creeping onto her cheeks.

_She's suddenly acting very strange,_ he thought. _Selphie's never acted this way around me before._

"Hey," he asked, placing his hand on her un-bruised shoulder. "Are you okay?" Selphie's eyes strayed from the ground towards his hand on her shoulder, almost not believing it was there.

"Yeah," she said slowly, slowly falling into his chest with neither of them even noticing. Tidus removed his arm from her shoulder and slid it down her slim waist, his other hand unconsciously letting his fingers slip through her ponytail.

"If you hadn't gotten rid of that dusk I might not be," she continued, her eyes now watching his fingers carefully maneuvering and slightly tugging at her hair. Her blush deepened from the center of her cheeks and began spreading out further to the rest of her face. Tidus did not remove his hands from her, but if he wanted to, he would have placed one to his heart. He became painfully aware at just how fast it was racing.

"Um guys? What are you doing yah?" Tidus quickly snapped his head up at the sound of Wakka's voice and looked at his best friend. All of them were staring at him and Selphie with mixed emotions. Wakka, Hayner, Isil, and Charlie were looking at him blankly, almost questioningly as if he had forgotten something. Pence and Anar were just smiling and shaking their heads, and Olette and Kia were smiling warmly at the two of them.

"Nothing," Selphie squealed, having somehow managing to extract herself from Tidus without him noticing. He couldn't explain it, but Tidus suddenly felt saddened at the distance that Selphie had wanted to place between them. He quickly realized that his face was a blazing red beacon and looked away from their group.

"Did you guys forget something?" Hayner asked, folding his arms. "The town is under attack."

"Forget fighting nobodies," Isil chortled. "I think they have other things on their minds."

"Guys!" Tidus moaned, his face now under his control. There was a loud bang from outside and Yazoo's head popped into their spot.

"Are any of you coming out?" he asked nonchalantly. "Or are you going to let Jeffery and me fight them alone?"

"Give some of us a minute Yaz," Hayner said, drawing his sword from behind the couch. "The only ones here with weapons are myself, Olette, Pence, Wakka, and Isil."

"Wakka," Tidus asked in incredulity, "you brought the Catcher with you?"

"It's a Blitzball yah?" Wakka replied. "I'd never leave home without it."

"And dad's going to be angry at you Anar," Isil said with a sly smirk while he looked at his twin. "He's been telling us right from the start to never leave without our weapons." The golden haired seventeen year old shook his head quickly.

"I know, I know," he said exasperatedly. "Can we just get home quickly so I can get my sword?"

"Alright," Hayner said. "I wish Roxas and Naminé were here, they'd know what to do, but I'll act as leader in their absence. Those of us with weapons will cover you as you make a run for the station. Get on the train there, get your kit, and head back through the tunnels." Tidus nodded his head along with the others.

"Get to it then," a voice said from the entrance. Tidus rushed out of the Usual Spot first and found himself almost in a war zone. His face balked his surprise to find that it was Seifer who had spoken to them. The teenager was wielding a blade that had parts of a revolver near the hilt in one hand and was expertly holding back dusks while Yazoo fired shots from his pistol and Jeff was sending fireballs out of the top of his staff. Fujin delivered a high kick to a dancer's head and Raijin sent a burly punch at another dusk. Vivi was a little ways behind them, waving his arms wildly. For the brief moment Tidus was watching the small boy he wondered what he was doing, but then understood as soon as a shard of ice flew out of the boy's hands at a nobody. Tidus turned his head away from the fight and ran out of the alley towards Market Street. The footsteps of his comrades behind him thundered in his ears while the sounds of battle roared in front and behind him. Hayner came up next to him and peeled off as they ran into the street. Officers of the police and military were engaging nobodies near the exits to the Sandlot and Tram Common, and Tidus saw the boy move out of the corner of his eye to help fight. Fireballs and lightning bolts flew from behind him as Olette and Pence joined in the fight. Charlie peeled off from them and dove down a side street towards his house. Wakka and Isil kept pace with the weaponless to serve as their guards as they ran up the hill to Central Station.

"Tidus!"

The boy swung his head around as he ran and saw the mayor, dressed in shining iron full body armour, moving down the hill escorted by about a dozen armed guards.

"Your Honor!" Tidus exclaimed, barely recognizing the man in front of him.

"Where are you and your group going?" the mayor asked anxiously. "It's widely known that you've all been training for this." Tidus blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head ashamedly.

"Well sir," he stuttered. "Some of us, uh, left our weapons back at our homes in Sunset Terrace." The mayor sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Just get there and back as soon as you can," he said. "The train will leave in about three minutes so hurry. And we've closed all the tunnel entrances except for the one by the station and the one in Sunset." Tidus nodded his head and was about to move forward when the mayor stopped his group again, his brow furrowed. "What about you two?" he asked, looking directly at Wakka and Isil, who had their weapons.

Wakka folded his arms, cradling his Blitzball underneath his armpit. "We're their guardians." The mayor nodded his head and let them pass. Tidus dashed past him and his guards to move further up the street.

* * *

Roxas was walking through the gardens just outside of the castle in the Radiant Garden, hoping that maybe Naminé was about finished getting through the paperwork that plagued her, when he saw Leon heading out of the castle's entrance. Leon was shaking his head and moving slowly. 

_Wonder what's up,_ Roxas thought inquisitively, moving instead to approach Leon. The gunblade wielder looked up at his footsteps and smiled upon seeing the knight.

"Sir Roxas," he said, his brown hair swaying slightly in a breeze that had begun to blow. "We have a problem." Roxas sighed as he looked at the swordsman.

_Oh boy, is this 'problem' going to keep me from seeing Naminé again?_

"What sort of problem?" he asked tiredly. Leon sensed the bite he had forcibly repressed from his voice and could tell that he was annoyed that he wasn't getting to see any of his girlfriend.

"I'll cut right to the meat then," the Prime Minister said. "We received a distress call from Twilight Town. They're under attack from Nobodies." Roxas' face froze in fear.

_No,_ he thought in shock. _He can't be there. He just can't be! Twilight Town was my home as much as the Destiny Islands was Sora's home._

"Have they said anything about Nixion?" Roxas asked quickly. Leon shook his head.

"If he's there, they haven't mentioned him." Roxas nodded his head and was about to spin on his heel when he heard raised voices and saw a flash of blonde hair. Naminé was rushing out of the castle at high speed, closely followed by around ten servants and maidens.

"For the last time," the distressed teenager was yelling. "I'm going!"

"But your highness," one of her handmaidens protested, trying to get a grip on the princess' arm. "It's too dangerous. You'll be killed. Leave it to Sir Roxas and the brave warriors on Twilight Town."

Naminé snapped her arm away from her servant and continued storming towards Roxas. "If you think that I'm going to let Roxas show up in a fight alone with a broken arm, forget it!" she snarled. "I won't let him get injured further when his arm is only half-healed. And I won't leave friends who I've helped train fight alone either."

"Let her go," Leon said as Naminé reached both him and Roxas. "She's spirited and strong willed. After being controlled for so long I doubt Naminé will let anyone control her now." Naminé smiled at Leon for a second before turning to look at Roxas.

"Ready to go Roxas?" she asked. Roxas nodded vigorously.

"Nixion's not taking Twilight Town," he said, finally spinning on his heel to leave the gardens. "It isn't quite the idea for a date that I had in mind though," he said to her with a smile as they left.

"Wait your highness!" Naminé scowled and turned as a manservant stepped forward a pace in uncertainty.

"What is it now?" she asked in annoyance. The servant rubbed the back of his head ashamedly.

"What exactly are we supposed to do until your return?" he asked. Naminé stared blankly at him for a second. She glanced at Roxas and then looked back at her servants.

"Prepare a room for Sir Roxas," she ordered briskly. "I won't have him living aboard the _Hunter_ while we stay here on the Radiant Garden anymore."

* * *

Tidus opened the door to his house and rushed inside, looking around the square living room frantically. 

"Honey?" his mother asked, looking anxiously at her son's panicking face. "What's wrong?"

"Mom, do you know where my sword is?" Tidus asked quickly, running up the stairs towards the room which had become his. His mother nodded slowly.

"Yes, it should be in the den," she said. The teen rushed back down the stairs and went down another flight to get to the den. He ran back up not a moment later with the Brotherhood clutched tightly in his right hand.

"Tidus, what is it?" his mother asked again, almost in a pleading voice. The blonde spared his worried mother a quick glance as he stopped. The beginnings of tears were in her emerald eyes.

"Nobodies are attacking the town," was all Tidus said. He did not look back as he left the house; he did not look down either, but held his head high as he proudly walked out to face what might become his last stand. He looked to the left and saw Selphie emerging from her house, her blade held readily in her hands.

"Tidus, Selphie!" Wakka was waiting for them in between the two houses with Isil, and Anar and Kia were running down the street towards them. Civilians with no weapons were returning to their homes to huddle with their families in fear as they came back from the main town. Tidus formed up with their small group and began moving out towards the tunnel that led from the main town to Sunset Terrace. Someone screamed and they rounded a corner, watching in sickening horror as Nobodies with swords surrounded by crackling electricity were slowly marching out of the tunnel entrance. They stood at five feet tall and wore silver capes that swept down to their pointed feet. Banded steel blue masks covered their circular heads and the Nobody Insignia was branded on each of their silver chests. Each had a three-foot thunder blade sheathed off of their left hip. The Thunder Wielder Nobodies moved slowly at their unified march, and Tidus couldn't see the end to their ranks with how their formation was arrayed.

A silver arrow flew past his ear and struck into the mask of one of the lead Thunder Wielders. It vanished in a sparkle of white and Kia strung another arrow to her bow as the other Nobodies stopped their march and looked at the spot where one of their number had stood. The Thunder Wielders looked at the small group of warriors and as one they all unsheathed their blades.

"I'll cover you," Kia said quietly as she took aim again, bending her bow. The Thunder Wielders charged at the group and she let her bow sing. The arrow flew deep into the chest of the leader and took him out. Tidus raised the Brotherhood and roared, running forward as well to meet them in their charge. The Catcher zipped past him and struck a nobody's sword arm, disintegrating it as the nobody continued to run, now wielding its heavy blade with only the left arm. Tidus swung upwards with the Brotherhood and the first sounds of ringing metal filled the quiet atmosphere of Sunset Terrace as the battle began to get underway.

* * *

"Where are they?" Hayner roared, running his sword through the back of a rogue berserker that was about to attack Olette. The girl muttered her thanks and retreated further behind their line, dropping lightning on some of the foes directly in front. Their line had not wavered or broken in the hour that they had fought against the tide, though there had been injuries and replacements. The problem was that they were fighting defensively on three fronts that they could rotate between, and had no knowledge of their reinforcements. One of the mayor's armed guards patted his shoulder and Hayner fell out to get some rest while the soldier swiped his blade through an oncoming dusk. Fuu, Seifer, and Yazoo were currently on break along with the mayor and two of his guards. The mayor had relieved himself of his helmet and was wiping his sweaty head with a handkerchief; his normally ginger hair drenched enough to turn it crimson. 

"Fighting again is too tough on an old body like mine," he said as Hayner came up to him. Seifer and Hayner raised their eyebrows at him.

"Again?" Seifer asked. The mayor nodded sadly.

"Eighteen years ago there was a war," he said. "It dragged quite a few worlds into it, and keyblade wielders were at the center of it all."

"Keyblade wielders?" Hayner asked. "You mean like Sora and the King?"

"Yes," he replied. "Although he wasn't King then, he was still apprenticing under Master Yen Sid. Twilight Town's army was an auxiliary corps, and I was one of our captains, leading our troops on the frontlines in worlds far away. Heartless and nobodies had barely existed back then, and instead we were fighting keyblade wielders from the dark realm, who brought their own dark soldiers with them. There used to be a wielder for almost every world back then, but even then some of the worlds here in the realm of light sided with the dark. I still remember the face of our wielder as Caleb led our forces out to battle." The mayor's voice choked slightly as he remembered that day. "He fell, to a wielder of the dark realm. And then was avenged by Master Xehanort."

"Xehanort?" Yazoo asked, barely keeping his calm demeanor. "Isn't he the one who possessed Riku?" The mayor opened his mouth to answer when there was a shout in a squeaky voice. A large mouse wearing a red cloak wielding a golden keyblade with a white guard suddenly bounded in from behind them. Hayner's face shifted slightly in surprise as he saw the King of Disney Castle suddenly fighting with them against Nobodies, but then he remembered that he had done so already on one occasion.

"Let's wipe them out!" Hayner looked over his shoulder and saw Mushu sitting atop Mulan's shoulder, the sword of her ancestors resting lightly in her hands. The female Chinese warrior looked at their small group and nodded at them.

"We can defeat them," she said confidently. "Sora and I have fought against some of these creatures before." Hayner didn't look back at any of the group as he ran back into the fray after Mulan said these words and immediately thrust his sword's tip straight into the flat-topped head of a dusk.

"Well I'm not going to let the blondie outscore me," Seifer said, standing up and picking up his gunblade. He pointed its tip at the horde of nobodies and squeezed the trigger, firing two flaming shots along both sides of the blade. Yazoo fired his pistol into the army and the mayor and his guard also rejoined the fight.

"Captain Urophi," King Mickey said while he fought, striking nobodies with his golden keyblade as golden stars appeared after every hit. "It's good to see you again." Twilight Town's mayor smiled before destroying a foe in front of him.

"Likewise," he replied. "I have said so before, but I still grieve the passing of your father on that day." King Mickey sighed as he nimbly leapt over a dancer and thrust his keyblade into its pink back.

"I miss him too," the King said. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing, and then I ask myself what he would do."

"You must rule as you would," Urophi replied as he fought. "And not as your father would."

"Minnie has told me so many times already," Mickey answered. "And I'm doing my best, but it looks like we're in war again." Urophi nodded.

"Because of this attack," he growled, defending the back of one of his men. "I guess we've now declared war on her as well." He noticed a small floating camera hover over him for a moment before speeding away to another section of the battle.

* * *

Tidus grunted in pain as his left leg was slightly sliced open and he shuddered as the electricity coursed through his veins, causing him to jerk the Brotherhood to the right, and sending to through the head of a Thunder Wielder that was about to hack at Selphie. A silver arrow flew into the head of the Thunder Wielder that had scored the hit against him and it vanished. They had been able to push the Thunder Wielders back into the tunnel entrance, and were now arrayed in a ring within the intersecting path that lead from Sunset Terrace to the numerous exits into the town. 

"Where are they all coming from?" Anar growled, swiping his broadsword in a wide arc to destroy two before the blade connected with one nobody's thunder blade. He parried the follow up strike and dodged a swift counter before sinking his fist into the nobody's masked face.

_I really don't know Anar,_ Tidus thought as he held off another one of them. Selphie cried out in pain as she was struck by an attack on her side and cringed to the ground. Tidus rushed to her aid and slew her assailant, Isil took up his position and Wakka cleared out a spot with a magnificent throw with his Blitzball, the Catcher rebounding off of three nobodies and disintegrating them.

"Selphie," Tidus said concernedly as he knelt down to check her wound. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Tidus," she replied, biting down on the pain, and holding a hand to her side. Tidus carefully removed her hand from her side, and both of them cringed at the sight of her blood staining her yellow shirt and hand.

"Easily fixed," a voice said next to them as curling vine-like tendrils wound around the wound. Tidus looked up at the person who had cast the healing spell and his face balked at what he beheld. Roxas was standing in front of him, holding a keyblade with a long black core and white hilt. The hilt wound around the shaft of the blade and formed into a single white bayonet at the end. The sling that held his cast was now purple with gold trimming and a cape of the same colour was clasped at his neck and draped over his back and shoulders. Naminé was standing next to him, dressed in a steely-blue ensemble with a silver circlet under her blonde bangs that had a blue gem embedded in the center. Island's Fire was in her grasp and flames were already curling around the golden blade and flowery key.

"Don't stop moving or the darkness will overtake you," Tidus looked at the speaker, "got it memorized?" Axel moved forward and rushed into the fray, artfully twisting his body and arching around as he fought with his flaming chakrams. Another boy of about sixteen moved up from behind them in the tunnel, his blue eyes set on the Thunder Wielder nobodies within. He had near shoulder length brown hair, and was wearing slightly ripped blue jeans with a black belt, black boots and a white shirt. A dirty green hooded trench coat was over his white shirt, and hanging from his neck was a silver heart necklace that had two crossed swords over the heart. The boy walked casually into the center of the ring they had formed, still staring at the Thunder Wielders, when two curved steel blades retracted from out of his arms just past his wrists.

"'Allo lovelies," he said in a British accent, his face finally showing some emotion as he cracked a grin. Without further movement he dove into the fight next to Axel, blocking an attack from a Thunder Wielder's blade with his left arm blade and swiftly stabbed it through the head with the right.

"Who is he?" Tidus asked, looking up at Roxas and Naminé, who still hadn't joined into the fight yet.

"That's Tom," Roxas replied. "We just met him outside the tunnel entrance in Sunset Terrace." Tom suddenly appeared behind Roxas and Tidus gasped, seeing him appear as if out of thin air.

"Someone talking about me behind me back?" he asked. Roxas started and swiveled his head around, looking at Tom in shock as another of Kia's arrows whizzed past them.

"How did you-?" Tom laughed.

"I can teleport meself mate," he said, before suddenly vanishing and reappearing in the midst of the Thunder Wielders, stabbing and slashing wildly with his arm blades. An electric blast came from his palm and struck three of the Thunder Wielders, only for it to be nullified entirely.

"Damn. I guess electric attacks won't cut it against these buggers." Roxas looked down at Tidus and Selphie.

"Come on," he said. "It's time we got into the fight again." Tidus nodded his head and stood up. He was about to get back in when he heard the sounds of marching and saw a force of Samurai marching in from the tunnel.

Roxas laughed at the expression on his face. "They're on our side, now we have the advantage for sweeping them out of here." He suddenly roared and stabbed the bayonet point of Twilight Thorn straight past the thunder blade of a nobody and into its chest.

* * *

Whamon rose up into an air filled alcove deep in the ocean's depths and opened his mouth, the edge of his lower jaw resting up against the rocky shore. Keys and Kairi leapt out of the water onto the rocks as the other digidestined and digimon filed out of Whamon's mouth. 

"I'm so out of shape," Whamon said tiredly. "I've got to rest here for a while now." Kairi was panting heavily as she lay on the rocky shore, one hand lying on her salmon coloured tail while her chest rose and fell and drops of water fell from her auburn bangs. A green light surrounded both herself and Keys and she watched in indifference as her tail melted into her legs, her navy skirt growing from her waist and her black shirt reforming from her swimming top. She stood up shakily on her legs again and Keys came up behind her.

"How about we leave the swimming to Whamon from now on?" Keys requested taking the hint from Kairi's tired state. She nodded, holding her head down while she tried to regain her breath. They both rejoined the other digidestined and digimon, who were grinning at them.

"Have a refreshing swim you two?" Gomamon asked, his smile the widest of all of theirs. Kairi shook some more of the water out of her sopping wet hair, showing them with little droplets.

"Yes," she replied, taking her hair to her hands and wringing it out while Mimi moaned about now being wet. "But Whamon will be doing the rest of the swimming from now on."

Agumon stepped out slightly and moved a little further into the tunnel. "Well, shall we get going then?" he asked. Tai nodded and moved next to his partner in the lead.

"So how was swimming Sora?" Aiwemon asked as he walked next to Keys. The teen looked down at his partner and smiled.

"It was better for me than it was for Kai," he said. "I'm used to swimming for days at a time in that form, but that's the longest Kairi's ever been in it." Aiwemon nodded and moved closer to him as they passed by stalagmites on the ground.

"I'm very glad you'll be with inside Whamon with us when we leave this place," the little bird digimon said quietly. "I like it when you're around. And even though you were just outside I was already missing you." Keys glanced down at his partner.

_Oh Aiwemon,_ he thought. _If you only knew how much I started to miss you already; even though it was for just a few hours._ He knelt down and gave the little rookie a light hug.

"Don't worry Aiwemon," he whispered. "I promise I won't leave you like that again." Aiwemon smiled and wrapped his wing affectionately around Keys' head.

"Hey what's that?" Keys and his partner looked up at Sora's voice and saw that there was a clearing ahead in the tunnel, forming into what looked like a circular cave. And at the end of the cave was…

"A convenience store?" Kairi said in confusion. The ground started shaking as they all got into the clearing and Keys spotted a drill horn cracking the surface of the cave in front of the store.

"What is it?" Matt asked as a giant mole with a drill horn on the top of its head came out of the ground. It had to be at least twice as tall as either Keys or Kairi. The fur covering its head and back was purple and it was white everywhere else at its steel eyes surveyed them with hate.

"Drimogemon!" T.K. exclaimed.

"Drimogemon lives deep inside the Earth drilling tunnels," Tentomon said. "It uses its Iron Drill Spin and Crusher Bone to wipe out its enemies."

"Hey look!" Menelmon said, flying above Drimogemon's head. "He has a black gear in him."

"I told you that wasn't the last one Tai," Joe said hesitantly.

"It is lord Devimon's will that no one shall pass," Drimogemon said. Agumon and the rookie digimon stepped forward in front of them.

"Tai, leave this to us digimon," he said. "You go find the tags."

"You got it," Tai replied, looking anxiously at Drimogemon as the drill on its head began to spin rapidly.

"Ha!" Gomamon yelled. "You think that drill scares us? Think again!" A bright golden light began to surround him. "Gomamon digivolved to, Ikkakumon!" Ikkakumon stood tall, matching Drimogemon in size as the controlled champion backed away slightly.

"Iron Drill Spin!" Drimogemon roared, his drill spinning rapidly once more. He charged at Ikkakumon, who counter charged with his horn bared. The two came at each other like jousting knights and their horns locked, each of them pressing the other to retreat or back down.

"Now's our chance," Kairi said, leading the way past the two battling digimon into the store, which was beginning to shudder.

"Okay," Keys said. "Let's split up to find these tags and get out of here." Drimogemon's back crashed into the store's glass windows as Ikkakumon sent him flying.

"Ikkakumon!" Joe ordered. "You've got him down, get him!"

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon blared, shooting off a horn missile. It exploded on Drimogemon and the shockwave sent shelves crashing to the ground in within the store.

"Try not to bring the building down on us while we're in here you guys!" Tai yelled at the digimon outside.

"I think it's time I joined the battle," Tentomon said, flying on his insect wings above Ikkakumon. "Tentomon digivolved to, Kabuterimon!" He flew up high near the ceiling of the cave and bared down on Drimogemon. The champion formed a bone in his hands and held it back behind him, preparing to fling it at Kabuterimon.

"Oh no you don't!" Aiwemon yelled. "Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon!" He raised his mace as he rushed at Drimogemon.

"Crusher Bone!"

"Deciding Swing!" The bird-warrior's mace contacted with Drimogemon's bone and vaporized it instantly in a white explosion.

"Good one Ohtarmon!" Keys yelled approvingly as he took a brief break from searching to watch his partner.

"Kabuterimon," Biyomon said. "Aim for the black gear."

"Right," the giant insectoid said, flying behind Drimogemon. "Electro Shocker!" The blue orb of electricity struck the black gear embedded in the back of Drimogemon's head and carried it out before the gear was utterly destroyed. Drimogemon blinked and looked curiously at all of them as the three other champion level digimon were surrounded by a golden light and reverted to their rookie stages.

"Please forgive me for attacking you," Drimogemon said as he began to tunnel away from the hole he had made when he entered.

"That's all right," Menelmon said. "We know it wasn't really your fault. By the way, do you know where the tags are?"

"The tags should be in the convenience store," Drimogemon answered before he had vanished within his tunnel. "Next to the jerky."

"Hey Guys!" Matt called, "You'd better take a look at this!" Keys gave up his search through fallen shelves and joined up with the other digidestined who were all congregating near the checkout line.

"Hey what is it?" he asked, getting near Matt. The golden haired digidestined was holding an ornate wooden box with golden trimming in the shapes of rectangles around its square sides.

"What is it Matt?" Sora asked, getting close as well.

"Poyomon found that box," T.K. answered as Matt flipped open the hinge. Keys' eyes widened slightly as he saw its contents.

"The tags…" Kairi whispered, letting her voice trail off as she picked one up.

"They look just like the ones Gennai showed us in his transmission," Izzy said, taking one from the box as well. Keys reached in and grabbed one. He ran his fingers over its golden surface; taking slight pleasure in the feel that each of the ridges gave as his fingertips flew over them. He slung it over his neck on the string it was attached to, and even though Gennai said that the tags were really nothing special he could almost feel a little stronger than he had been before he had put the tag on; or maybe that was just the haunting premonition of the power he would get when he found his crest.

"Remember guys," Matt said. "Gennai told us that the crests were scattered across the continent of Server."

"Then I guess we'll just have to go and find them," Joe said, finally believing in Gennai as he saw the tags and placed his over his neck.

* * *

Roxas emerged from the tunnels of Twilight Town with a guard of a dozen Samurai around him, Naminé, and Axel. The rest of the Samurai along with Tidus, Tom, and the others were performing a clean-up operation of the Thunder Wielder nobodies within the tunnels before they opened up the entrance to Tram Common and joined in the main battle. Roxas and his party had left where they had by the station to make sure that the citizens of Twilight Town were all okay. The station platform was deserted, and Roxas knew he could take that in one of two ways. He chose the one with the better outlook, that they had all boarded trains and made it to the temporary shelter of Sunset Terrace. 

Darkness swirled in front of them and Nixion stepped out of a portal, glowing at them with his yellow eyes while his own thunder blades appeared in his hands.

Roxas furrowed his brows at the nobody who stood in front of him. "I just knew that you were the one controlling this assault Nixion," he spat. "Nobodies will only listen to those who are, or had been nobodies." Nixion chuckled emotionlessly.

"That's quite true number XIII," he said. "Much though my master likes to believe she has control over the lesser nobodies, she can no more make a creeper do her bidding than she can Cossex these days."

"Hey, Roxas," Axel whispered. "Then how come the Assassins won't listen to me anymore but the Samurai still take orders from you and you alone?" Roxas did not drop his gaze from Nixion but lowered his voice so only his friend could hear.

"It's because you actually died Axel," he replied, choking slightly on his words. "They won't take orders from someone who had been dead." Nixion chuckled again and twirled his blades around in his palms as bolts of lightning started circling around him.

"Your other wasn't very good against me while he didn't have Bahamut there to save him," he taunted. "What makes you think you'll do any better?" Roxas bared his teeth.

"My brother didn't have his friends with him," he snarled. "I know that together we can take you." Nixion scoffed his head up and pointed at Roxas' left arm.

"With that arm?" he ridiculed.

"Sir Roxas and I can take you any day of the week!" Axel snarled, moving protectively in front of his best friend, fire blazing up around him to match the electricity from Nixion. "You wield lightning; well I bet you're no tougher than Larxene was! You and Maleficent can't match Organization XIII even after it's been beaten to the ground, got it memorized?" Nixion's face grew in rage. He may not have emotions, but this was a direct attack on his pride, and he didn't need emotions to have pride. His silver hair suddenly surged through canary yellow into hostile electric white.

"You're the one who's pathetic," Nixion taunted, a viscous blast of electricity rocketing out of his hands towards Axel.

Naminé waved her hand quickly. "Reflija!" she roared. The dome rose around their group and the torrent of lightning struck the side and was deflected out into the sky. Dark winds and clouds started to swirl around them, lighting flashing in the clouds as the station platform became encased in the dark storm. Roxas looked around worriedly as Nixion's voice echoed out through the wind.

"You're playing with the big boys now, got it memorized?"

* * *

_Ha! Cliffhanger. And in case you were wondering from the opening author's note, yes Maleficent is staring to get too powerful for even me, the author, to control._

_(Edit) Forgot to mention this when I posted it a few hours ago. But you'd better put me on author alerts soon because I'm only planning four, max five or six, chapters more for this segment of the story. I think I'll be bumping it up to six, making it an even forty._

**_May the Grace of the Valar Protect You_**

_Shire Folk_


	35. Battle for Twilight Town

_You're all going to hate me, but when Spring Break ends, some of my friends are coming back from Japan with KHII: FM for me._

_And if you didn't notice, I came out with a Christmas Chapter. However, it contains major plot spoilers, so read it at your own discretion._

_Disclaimer: I've done this enough. I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but it would be really sweet if Nomura used something from this fic in KH3.

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXV: Battle for Twilight Town

"So you understand what I'm proposing then?" Leon asked steadily. Ralph Manish nodded his head.

"Perfectly Prime Minister," he replied, taking a sip of his tea.

Leon was sitting within the house of Ralph Manish, even as Axel was goading Nixion. The gunblade wielder was comfortably sitting on an easy chair, watching Manish for any signs of deception. The leader of the opposition had the slightest smile on his face, but apart from that, Leon couldn't decipher anything else the man was feeling towards him or his proposition.

"The hopes of our people rest on this act you have presented before me Squall," Manish said delicately. "And it will likely create a controversy in the government, with you at the center of it all." Leon looked at Ralph steadily. He was unafraid and unconcerned by any conspiracy theories that might arise against him. He knew what had to be done, and was willing to pay the price.

"You know as well as I do that this is the only way forward Manish," Leon answered emotionlessly. "If we can succeed and defeat Maleficent, my reputation as a politician won't matter. I'm a warrior, maybe if given the opportunity a commander, but I'm not suited for this job. Not like you." A slight gleam came into Manish's eyes and he smiled at the young man sympathetically while extending his hand.

"Then we have an accord?" he asked. Leon took the offered hand and shook it solemnly.

_This is a big gamble we're taking,_ he thought. _It had better work._

"You'd better win," Leon said. Ralph nodded his head.

"Yes Prime Minister."

* * *

Roxas growled as he swiveled his head, searching for any sign of their adversary. But the dark wind and biting rain denied him any hint of Nixion's whereabouts. 

"He used my line" Axel snarled under his breath, his fire cloak keeping him dry. "Where is he?" Naminé shook her head and inched closer to both the pyro and the knight.

"I don't know Axel," she replied steadily, her eyes glancing around for any sight of him while the rain plastered her blonde hair to her skin. Roxas backed up next to the both of them and signaled with his a flick of his hand. The dozen Samurai that had accompanied them got into a ring around them, drawing their katanas and standing defensively.

_We shall protect you my liege_, one of them said telepathically. Roxas nodded and tried to make heads or tails of the swirling clouds as lightning flashed and thunder roared. He looked over at Naminé and Axel. Axel was doing fine, his teal eyes darting this way and that, trying to find the Keeper of Storms within the storm that had been created. Fires blazed around him, keeping him dry as the rain and now hail vaporized before it could strike his body. The wind whipped around the flames, drawing them higher and illuminating the darkness a little more. Naminé wasn't doing as well. Her eyes were also darting around, but her shield was raised protectively in front of her and fear glistened within her irises. Lightning flashed and illuminated the rain glistening on her forehead in a stark white light as she whipped around again, trying to find Nixion though the booming thunder. Roxas was suddenly glad that she had changed her outfit from the white dress.

One of the Samurai in front of them vanished with a flash and all three whirled around to face the spot where it had been.

"You cower behind your minions?" Nixion's voice echoed through the storm, seeming to come from every direction. "Why should I take you seriously then?" Axel snarled as lighting illuminated them again. Fire siphoned from the blaze that roared around him onto his chakrams.

"Burn!" he yelled, tossing each one of them forward into the storm in a mad blitz. They burned their way through the biting wind, tearing apart the dark clouds that swirled around them, but the vaporized water was the only thing they made contact with and Nixion's haunting laugh echoed out to them when they returned to Axel's hands. Lightning struck in front of them and another Samurai vanished before it even had a chance of defending itself.

Roxas whirled around constantly, always keeping Twilight Thorn positioned defensively in front of him while his cerulean eyes scanned through the storm. But it was fruitless, he couldn't find Nixion. There was another flash of lightning in the clouds and Roxas suddenly perceived the Nobody speeding out of the darkness that clouded the knight's vision while the brightness of the lightning burned his eyes. Nixion's thunder blade crackled as it sliced through another one of the Samurai, and he vanished back into the storm as quickly as he had come.

"Where is he?" Axel growled again, facing the wrong way and so missed the whole scene. Roxas grimaced and looked around wildly again, trying to find any hint as to where Nixion had vanished to. He ran a hand through his matted hair, throwing it out of his eyes.

"Damn," he said. "I saw him. He was right there!"

"Where did he go?" Naminé asked, swinging around to look in the direction Roxas was indicating. The lightning flared again to their left and Nixion flew out almost too fast to see, and it was nearly impossible for them to see as well with the flash of lightning blinding them. He sped just in front of them, and Roxas could barely discern a smirk on the nobody's face through his squinted eyelids. Nixion vanished again into the storm with a dry laugh. Lightning flared rapidly amongst the clouds, the intense light burning from them blinding the three as bolts of lightning, or Nixion, Roxas couldn't tell, rapidly and repeatedly cut through the Samurai. He was picking their guards off one by one, and soon they would be the only three left. More lightning flashed in the clouds, but instead of picking off their guards it all gathered to one focal point. Roxas looked up, his eyes protesting, and glared at the spot where all the electricity was coursing to. Nixion was in the middle of it all, receiving it with his two Thunder Blades pointed above him.

"That does it," Axel said, holding his hands out to his sides with his chakrams gripped tightly in them. Fire flared all around him and engulfed the entire area; making the brickwork of Central Station looking like it was threads of cooling volcanic lava. The clouds and rain completely vaporized in the intense heat that came from the ground and circular walls of fire erupted around them all. Nixion gained one last jolt from the last wisps of cloud and began to spin rapidly.

"Lightning Javelin!" he roared, pointing himself at them.

"Scatter!" Naminé ordered, diving out of the way. Nixion crashed into the ground where they had been standing only a moment before. The Earth trembled at the blow and Roxas fell to his already wobbly knees. His cast broke his fall and Roxas turned around so his back was on the fiery brick, Twilight Thorn raised horizontally over his chest. Nixion blew himself out of the crater he had made and dusted himself off.

"I'll admit that I wasn't able to hit your… was it _brother_ you said with that attack either," Nixion said lightly, a hint of tender malice in his voice. "But I was able to give him a wound at least during our duel."

"And what, pray tell did he do against you?" Roxas snarled. Nixion smirked.

"Truthfully he and Bahamut did very little to harm me," he said. "Even with the power of Bahamut's Mega Flare I still left the battle unscathed." He suddenly swung around and blocked Naminé's falling keyblade with one of his thunder blades.

"So you ran away," she growled, arching her blade back to ready a counter while she blocked with her shield, "coward." Nixion growled at the further insult to him and hacked violently against her defence. Naminé spun backwards and down to dodge and suddenly opened her shield and struck out at Nixion with a jab. He casually parried her blow and struck her upper arm with his blade. Naminé jerked in a spasm from the electricity and gasped slightly from the cut near her left shoulder. Nixion turned around and deftly silenced the Samurai that had come to her aid with a well placed stab to the head. There were only two of them left now. A fireball struck Nixion's side and he turned around to see nothing but the fire wall from that side.

"Hello."

Nixion swiveled on his feet and saw Axel flying straight out of the fire towards him, the red haired youth of nineteen's eyes blazing and his chakrams engulfed in an inferno. The Keeper of Storms raised his thunder blades in retaliation as the Flurry of Dancing Flames came upon him, truly living up to his name. Neither could strike a hit on the other as all their blows were dodged or blocked. Roxas growled from the sidelines as he watched the two of them duel.

"Magnega," he whispered.

Nixion ducked a roundhouse kick from Axel and elbowed the former member of Organization XIII in the gut. Axel staggered backwards and the flames around them died and the volcanic covering on the ground melted away. Nixion sent a torrent of electricity from his thunder blades at Axel. He smirked as he saw the lightning heading for the red head, no longer spiky from the rain his storm had caused; but his smile slinked off his face when the lightning was intercepted by a keyblade of contrasting colours.

Roxas arched Twilight Thorn into the path of the electric attack and the lightning spiraled around his blade, caught in the magnetic field emanating from the black core of his keyblade. Roxas smirked at Nixion's puzzled expression and flew himself straight for him, his two remaining Samurai beside him. Nixion hacked at his swinging blade with both of his own and the thunder surrounding them crackled. Electric sparks flew from the connection and Roxas dropped back, pointing the bayonet at Nixion. The electricity sheathing his sword shot off straight for his opponent, but Nixion swirled it around him and destroyed both Samurai with the torrent. Roxas growled in shock as Nixion then spun it behind him and the sent the bolts crackling into Naminé before she could strike him from behind. Naminé let out a cry and was flung into one of the columns in front of the station's entrance. She dropped her shield and keyblade and continued jerking spastically as Nixion kept up the torrent of electricity. He smiled at the two teenagers that were snarling at him.

"You'd better do something quick sir Roxas," Nixion taunted. "Or else your little girlfriend is going to die."

* * *

Hayner slowly struck out with his sword once more against a creeper nobody that had turned itself into a large swinging sword. His blade struck the hilt and the creeper vanished in a white sparkle. Seifer stood next to him, swinging his gunblade more slowly than he had an hour ago. Exhaustion was taking its toll on nearly everyone present. The only one who was still fighting as well as he had when he arrived in the battle was King Mickey. Even Mulan and Captain Urophi, trained battle-hardened warriors, had slowed after the three hours on almost non-stop fighting. But, there were fewer of them now than there had been. No fatalities._ Thankfully_, Hayner thought, but nearly all of the police that had participated were wounded and out of the action. All the mages, including Jeffery, were exhausted and could not cast any more magic, and a few of Urpohi's guards and regular military personnel had fallen out to assist the field medics with the wounded. Their line was thin, too thin. 

Hayner grunted as a dancer grabbed him by his ankles and started swinging him around. He would have hoped that Mickey or Mushu would see him and assist, but that wasn't needed when he suddenly plopped onto the ground as the dancer vanished in a flicker of white light. Hayner looked up at his saviour and grinned when he saw the crystal blue blade of the Brotherhood.

"Excellent timing Tidus," he said, extending an arm as Tidus helped him up.

"We wouldn't leave you guys hanging," Tidus said. "But it's taken us a while to drive through them to get here from the tunnels, especially since we've been thinning ourselves out to keep a safe pathway to the tunnels." Hayner nodded.

"Great," Hayner said. "We can get our wounded out of here then." He motioned with his hand and the military personnel, wearing steel armour that blazoned with a rising sun on the breastplate and a skull cap helmet, bore the wounded on stretchers and started moving towards their position. Tidus clapped a hand on Hayner's shoulder as King Mickey flipped next to them.

"Hold a second fellas," he said, pointing his golden keyblade into the sky as light swirled up from around him. "Keep me safe while I do this. I haven't had enough time or support to channel my energy." Tidus raised his eyebrow but shrugged at Hayner. Tom teleported next to him right before he was about to charge into the fray. Both boys started as Tom raised an eyebrow and looked behind them.

"'Allo," he said in his cockney accent. "What's the King doing?" Tidus shook his head.

"Not a clue Tom," he replied. "But he asked us to defend him while he charged or something."

"You know this guy?" Hayner whispered, half pointing at Tom. The Brit glared at him and Hayner backed down.

"So 'e wants 'elp?" Tom asked himself while his arm blades retracted from his body. He whirled around and stabbed a dusk through the flat of its head before it could give him a head butt. Tidus and Hayner nodded and jumped back into the fray.

"Light, give me power!" Mickey cried as a bright white light shone from the tip of his keyblade. The light swirled into a sphere before it broke apart into many shafts of light that flowed to everyone present. All of their wounds were healed and their exhaustion cured instantly as the warm light flowed into them. The medics looked at King Mickey in astonishment as the mouse's knees buckled from the exertion. Hayner began fighting with renewed vigor as thunderbolts and fireballs filled the skies and men rushed back into the fight, pushing the nobodies back. But the King of all people fell back, much of his energy spent.

* * *

Roxas groaned as he was flung backwards, the electricity from Nixion's thunder blade coursing through him after the flat of the blade smacked him across the chest. He twitched as he picked himself up from the ground and his eyes hardened when he saw Naminé still jerking spastically in the current Nixion was still sending at her. 

Roxas looked over at Axel and they nodded at each other. Each let out an ear-splitting roar and lunged at Nixion, who was surprisingly able to maintain the electric torture on Naminé while circling around and blocking every attack the two could send his way. Nixion kicked Roxas in the chest and he was sent sprawling to the ground. Roxas looked accusingly at his left arm.

_I can feel the keyblade wanting to make itself known,_ he thought. _But my arm still isn't fully healed from when that heartless broke it and this damn cast is so unwieldy!_

His anger at his inability to do anything while he was forced to watch the love of his life slowly die shook his limbs. An angry tear dropped from his eye and the Oblivion suddenly sprung into existence in his left hand. He looked at it in shock as his arm and cast shook violently despite the sling and the Oblivion glowed with a golden light. His cast suddenly shattered and sling unraveled and dissolved. Roxas instinctively dropped the Oblivion into its standard position, and he didn't even notice the pain that was screaming through his arm. It wasn't as pronounced a pain as when it had first been shattered a week ago, but it still hurt and ached. He looked at Axel again and nodded as black robes sprung onto his being in place of the outfit he normally wore. It was time for them to show this pretender the might of the only two surviving members of Organization XIII.

"The big boys huh?" Roxas asked with a chuckle. "You're right. You're playing with the big boys now."

"Now that's more like it," Axel said with a gleam in his teal eyes. Fire engulfed his weapons once more and he and Roxas charged, the latter oblivious to the pain searing through his arm. Nixion bared his blades, preparing for the charge to come when Axel suddenly switched the way he held his chakrams so they were horizontal. Roxas leapt onto the flaming weapons and used them as a springboard as Axel flung him above Nixion's head. The Keeper of Storms watched in intrigue as the Key of Destiny flew over him, but Roxas wasn't on a peaceful flight. As soon as he began passing over Nixion's head he arched his body around and struck straight for Nixion's thunder blade with Twilight Thorn and swung the Oblivion down at Nixion's arm. Nixion blocked Twilight Thorn but grunted as he took the attack from the Oblivion, his other arm trying desperately to block Axel's flurry of attacks. Roxas smirked as he saw sweat bead on Nixion's brow, not from exhaustion, but from desperation of fighting on two sides and keeping up the electric attack on Naminé. Roxas' smirk vanished as Nixion growled and stopped torturing the girl to turn his full attention on the two combatants he was fighting. Roxas rolled out of the way of a downwards slash and spiraled up next to Axel, whacking away a thunder blade with the rising Twilight Thorn. He nodded slightly to his best friend.

"Let's teach him a lesson," he said grimly. Roxas crossed his two keyblades together and fire flared around them as Axel interlocked his chakrams. His chakrams disappeared in a flicker of white light and the hilts of both of Roxas' keyblades took on their look. Roxas released his keyblade from his hands and they floated in the air. Eight shafts of light spilled from the points on the hilts as they began to spin around like a circular saw. Nixion's grimaced as fire flared up from the glowing and flaming weapons. The two former nobodies folded their arms inside of their cloaks and watched. A phoenix rose from out of the circling flames and glared at Nixion with aquamarine eyes. It reared backwards and screeched angrily at him.

"Don't mess with us," Roxas said emotionlessly.

"Got it memorized?" Axel added. An orange light glowed from the phoenix's fiery yellow beak. Nixion stood his ground. An orange beam erupted from the mouth of the phoenix and flames whirled all around the energy ray. At the same time Roxas and Axel removed their arms from their Organization cloaks to reveal that they were holding their weapons once more.

"Phoenix Finale!" they roared, rushing alongside the firebird's attack. With a mighty cry they pinned Nixion's sides with their weapons before he could raise his thunder blades. The Keeper of Storms cursed himself in his mind, but chuckled slightly as the energy ray and fire consumed his front. He had let his guard down, and now he was paying the price with this pain. Not that the pain was very intense, he felt that it was only as painful as a wind burn. It would make him hot for the next few days and irritate him, but it wouldn't be too serious. What worried him more was the stinging pain where his enemies' weapons were pinning his sides down.

Roxas and Axel released Nixion as the phoenix's attack dissipated and the firebird screeched before becoming a golden mist that faded away. They both dropped to their knees in exhaustion. Roxas panted, grunting and flinching his face as the pain in his left arm soared. He wasn't sure that he showed any fear through the pain when Nixion spoke.

"The big boys?" he mocked. "I'm the only big bad boy here, and you and your brother, and all your little friends had better remember that." Roxas growled and was about to swing upwards for a desperate slash when both he and Axel were each flung in different directions as Nixion struck them with his thunder blades. Roxas groaned in pain as he bounced and rolled on the ground before he hit the brick railing at the edge of the station. He finally became aware of the pain searing through his left arm, and now his right where he had crashed into the ground. His body ached all over, his cloak was matted and plastered to his back, and there was a stinging pain in his side from the after effects of the electricity.

His vision was clouding as he released both of his keyblades and looked at Nixion advancing towards him with both blades at the ready. Roxas was just about to accept his fate when Nixion was blasted away by what seemed to be a burst of compressed air. Roxas was barely able to turn his head in time to watch as Keeper of Storms crashed into a house lining the area. Nixion's head rose from the ground after a moment and Roxas could see he was snarling before a portal of darkness opened over him. Sir Roxas Dual Blade's eyes flickered and he thought he saw a person in a set of brilliant blue robes standing near the station entrance before his vision failed him and he saw no more.

* * *

King Mickey slashed in a circular arc from the air as his jump propelled himself forward. He spun like a rotor blade, hacking the nobodies in front of him to pieces as they vanished in shimmers of light while he used what little remained of his strength. Mickey landed on his feet and turned around, his face showing a ruse that ready to engage another foe. He gasped when he saw all of the nobodies vanish in swirls of silver light. 

Tidus and Hayner cheered from next to him, and all the other warriors began whooping in victory. King Mickey felt a powerful presence and despite his weariness looked up the heights to see a very familiar figure standing near the entrance to the back alley. The few who had held the entrance to the alley from the Sandlot emerged and stopped sudden, staring at the man in front of them in awe. King Mickey strode up to him and bowed his head before his master.

"Master Yen Sid," he said. Yen Sid waved his hand.

"Now is not the time for pleasantries Your Majesty," the wizard said. "I have two seriously injured patients waiting for you up at Central Station." Selphie gasped from behind the King and he turned around, not at all surprised that they had all followed him without his noticing.

"Roxas, Naminé and Axel went to the Station," she whispered, her face becoming a ghostly white. Yen Sid looked gravely at her.

"Sir Roxas and Princess Naminé are the two casualties," he said. "Axel is also injured, but nowhere near the extent that the other two are." King Mickey nodded quickly.

"Hurry!" he exclaimed. "We need to get them to the hospital on the Radiant Garden; they have the best facilities there."

"Why don't you just heal them like you did our wounded Your Excellency?" Mulan asked. King Mickey shook his head sadly.

"It takes a lot of energy to do that," he said. "I just don't have the strength to use 'Healing Light' again. Our best bet is to get them to the hospital in the Radiant Garden." He leapt forward and bounded up the hill, all the others following in his wake.

"How did they get so injured Master Yen Sid?" Cpt. Urophi asked as he walked next to the sorcerer. Yen Sid looked grimly at the leader of Twilight Town.

"They engaged in combat with Nixion," he replied. "Sir Roxas would have been slain had I not intervened when I did. Otherwise, we would only have five keyblade wielders left instead of six. Actually, I have forgotten one, make that seven. However, I don't know if he will cooperate again; his position may have changed since the war ended while he was sixteen." Urophi gasped and ran his hand over his drenched hair.

"I never knew we had so few left," he said. "_Seven?_ Ten years ago there were still at least twenty, and before the war began twenty years ago my reckoning said there were around two hundred."

"Your count was wrong on both accounts," Yen Sid growled. "Ten years ago we only had fifteen, and before the war there were in upwards of four hundred. The King and I still hold records of every one of the wielders that have ever existed in the Realm of Light in enchanted books, and I have obtained a ledger that lists every keyblade wielder of the Realm of Darkness." Urophi gasped again and they entered Station Plaza last, as they had been walking the slowest of any.

Roxas and Naminé were being borne on stretchers towards the edge of the railing where Roxas had been leaning against. A Gummi ship was floating in the air with its landing ramp lowered. The ship was shaped in a long rectangular shaft. The bottom curved up at the front, and the top curved down in a shallower angle to meet it, giving it more the appearance of a head if viewed from the side. The ship was gray and the landing ramp stretched from the bottom of the lower lip. It was a Mini Dreadnought, a concept design created by Gadget that had far greater speed and stealth than a full sized Dreadnought, but weaker firepower and durability. The ship had been named the _Roadster_, and as the _Avenger_ was still with Donald, Goofy, PJ, and the knights of Disney Castle while they were out returning the princesses, King Mickey had boarded the _Roadster_ with Mulan, Mushu, and Axel as soon as they got the call.

"Hurry," Axel said in a pained moan as he limped aboard the ship, shoving off any offered help while he walked next to those that bore Roxas. "We need to get to… get to the Radiant Garden… fast. Got it… memorized?"

"We're going too," Tidus said adamantly to the King. King Mickey began to protest but Anar, Isil, and Hayner backed Tidus up.

"No you aren't Tidus." The boy swiveled his head to see his mother standing in the entranceway to the train station.

"Urophi," Yen Sid said, a small smile forming on his face. "I also took the liberty of informing those in Sunset Terrace that the battle was over. I suppose that this is the first train load."

"They're our captains," Hayner said, backing up Tidus. "We need to make sure that they'll be alright."

"We're going," Selphie said. Tidus' mother shook her head tiredly.

"Fine then," she said as others moved past her in awe, "but be sure you're _all_ back by eleven tonight. You have school tomorrow." Tidus suppressed a groan and made his way onto the ship before anyone else could object.

* * *

Keys yawned and stretched from atop Whamon's head in the darkness of the night. Kairi smiled as she sat next to him and looked up into the stars. Not a single one of them had vanished since the last time she had looked. There was only a little talk among the digidestined as they sailed on Whamon. Much of their talk had fizzled out over the past several hours. 

Kairi glanced at Menelmon next to her and fingered her tag, breathing in the night air and tasting the tangy scent of sea spray. Mimi and Sora were lying down nearby, looking up at the stars and having a game where they would look for constellations they recognized. Izzy was checking their position on the map of his computer with Tentomon hovering behind him. Tai and T.K. were sleeping already, Poyomon next to his partner's head. Gabumon and Agumon had gathered most of the other digimon around them and were quietly telling ghost stories in the chill night air while Matt and Joe listened in. Kairi stopped running her fingers over her tag while she wondered what her crest would be. She lay down and rolled into position next to Sora and Mimi while Menelmon fluttered over next to Aiwemon, who had just begun to give his story.

"So what's the score?" she whispered. Sora and Mimi glanced at her.

"I have four," Sora answered, "and Meems has three. I got Taurus, Orion, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor."

"And I found Scorpio, Leo, and Pegasus," Mimi replied. "You have a lot of finding to go if you want to catch up Kairi." Kairi just smiled and looked up into the skies, scanning. Keys suddenly rolled up next to her and Kairi looked away from the stars with a smile.

"Hey," she whispered. "You interrupted my search." Keys just smiled and chuckled.

"I'm sorry Kai," he cooed quietly, giving her a grin that made her heart melt. Kairi's slight annoyance abated and she looked back to the heavens.

"What's gone?" Keys whispered, taking his eyes skyward.

"Taurus, Ursa Major and Minor, Orion, Scorpio, Leo, and Pegasus," Kairi whispered. She could hear Keys give a satisfied grunt next to her. "What?" He nudged her and pointed into the sky.

"One point for me," he said. Kairi, Sora, and Mimi followed his hand and they each inhaled sharply.

"Is that-?" Sora asked, leaning up on her elbows as she looked into the sky in disbelief. Kairi looked at Keys' face in surprise and wonder.

"You never told us that you, Donald, and Goofy had your own constellation," she whispered. Keys chuckled next to her.

"Actually I did," he muttered. "Remember when I was talking about Phil yesterday?" Kairi searched back in her mind and his words were brought back to her.

"_I wonder if he's still calling me a Junior Hero even though Donald, Goofy, and I have a constellation."_

"Okay, so one for Keys," Mimi muttered grumpily, angry that he found one so quickly. It had taken her ten minutes to find Scorpio. He laughed and Kairi followed his hand as he pointed it into the sky again.

"And there's my pal Hercules," he said, his arm shifting to the left of his constellation. Kairi simply smiled as she looked at the hero's image. Emotions for Sora were bubbling within her, annoyance, envy, pride… love. It took seeing the constellation in the stars for her to only imagine just how grateful all the worlds were to the young man that lay down next to her.

_I'm the luckiest girl in all the worlds_, she thought. _Sora could have chosen anyone on the Islands to be with. He was friends with enough girls anyway; his heart could have fallen for any of them. But it chose me, just as mine chose him._ She looked away from him before Keys could glance at her. Kairi sighed as looked up into the stars, the sounds of the waves crashing into Whamon's giant head cascading up to them while the whispers of the digimon's storytelling and Tai's soft snores drifted over.

"This almost reminds me of home," Kairi said, her thoughts drifting back to the peace-filled days before the whole mess began. Memories of camping out at night on their island, roasting marshmallows, having splash-wars in the surf, swimming with their clothes on despite their parents' repeated warnings, drying off by the paopu tree, hiding together from Riku and Wakka during a game of hide-and-seek, gazing at the stars, telling ghost stories while cuddled up underneath blankets; they all came back and brought a smile to her heart.

Keys sighed heavily next to her and Kairi turned to look at him.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I remember." He suddenly tensed up and Kairi looked at him in concern. She inched slightly closer and he twitched. He seemed, _fearful_ almost. Keys almost never acted this way around her. It looked as if he was dying to wrap his arm around her, yet afraid to do so at the same time. Kairi could recall several times in which Keys had been uncomfortable in being close to her; most noticeably when they had finally reunited and she had hugged him, and he hesitantly hugged her back. Maybe remembering the days before they had realized they loved each other had caused a relapse.

_Well,_ she thought. _I never would have thought that Sora would suddenly become shy to show his affection for me after displaying it so openly over the past…_ She scrunched her head up in thought and racked the days up within her mind. _20 days,_ she thought in surprise, her eyebrows flying up to meet the ends of her bangs. _It's been almost three weeks since the fight in the simulator!_ She glanced down at Keys again, and in the soft starlight she was able to read him. His face was uneasy, and she could almost sense the conflicting emotions raging through his heart. She quietly slipped an arm around him and brought it round to his right shoulder, tapping her fingers on his shoulder blades. Keys started and looked at her in wonder, almost as if it wasn't real. Kairi responded with a warm smile. Her fingers tenderly danced on his shoulder blades and she snuggled closer.

"Why are you so jittery all of a sudden Sora?" she whispered, certain that Sora and Mimi couldn't hear her. "Did the fact that we've been together almost three weeks catch up to you? It's almost as if you're afraid." Keys sighed quietly.

"I'm afraid of overdoing it Kai," he whispered back, looking at her in the eyes. Kairi silently giggled as he continued. "I mean, the first while that we've been together I wasn't afraid to show you how much I loved you, no matter who was around us. But now that it's almost quieted down, don't you think we may be, well…" Kairi cocked her head to one side while she smiled all the wider at the bemused expression on her lover's face. Keys looked uneasily at her while he searched for the word he was looking for.

"Flaunting it?" Kairi finished for him. Keys sighed slightly and whispered his agreement. Kairi giggled and silently shifted even closer to him. "Sora," she whispered tenderly, "despite all the little PDAs, we could never overdo showing our affection for each other unless we start kissing in front of everyone every twenty minutes. We're acting just like the couples we've seen in the halls at school." Kairi smiled as she looked at his face. Despite the messy appearance his spiked hair had taken the past several days, the gel slowly softening and leaving his hair to make it more matted (and she knew her hair couldn't be looking that much better), she still softened at the handsome, almost noble, look on his face. It had matured much more than she had remembered it being when they had been forcibly parted so long ago. His jaw was stronger, his bright cerulean eyes blazed with an inner fire, and the slight peach fuzz of stubble was starting to darken on his chin. In all, he was becoming a more rugged handsome than the cute face that had held her mind captivated while he was gone.

"By Calypso," Keys whispered as he stared at her while she gawked at him. "You're beautiful." Kairi immediately flushed and looked around shyly, no longer making eye contact.

"Really?" she asked coyly. "But I haven't had any chance to clean up, or put on some blush, or even done anything with my ha-" she stopped her fussing as Keys' lips met hers in mid-sentence and she melted in his arms. Leave it to Sora to not care what she looked like to sedate her with a kiss. They lay together side-by-side, their bodies turned towards each other while their arms wrapped tenderly around the other. Keys' were gently on her waist and head, while Kairi pressed hers to his shoulders and back. His scent was like a tonic that Kairi breathed in, feeling all the while more empowered and invigorated while its effect intoxicated her in a more pleasant way than the drink she'd never had. Scratch that, it was far more pleasant than the rum. Kairi softly broke away and smiled lovingly at him.

"Would you call that flaunting it?" she asked. Keys chuckled quietly so only she could hear and inched his lips closer again.

A gasp came from both Sora and Mimi and the two broke apart before they could begin to look at them in confusion. Mimi had her hand to the sky.

"Look at that!" she said in awe, and also in fear. Kairi followed her gaze and her heart froze. A star in the sky, one right in the middle of constellation Keys' hair was shining brightly, brighter than any other star; so bright that all the other stars nearby dimmed until they could no longer be seen, overshadowed by that star's light. Then just as suddenly as it had shone intensely, it collapsed in on itself and vanished, leaving an empty black space where it had been.

Another world was gone, another victory for the enemy.

Kairi began to feel a hard tear well up in her eye. Not a soft one of weakness, but the feelings of despair and anger welled up within her. They couldn't keep losing at a rate like this. They needed to get out there, take the fight to Maleficent! They were outnumbered and separated. They needed more help. But Kairi remembered what happened when they had fought Maleficent just a day before, they weren't strong enough to defeat her even if they were all together. She needed to be weakened somehow, but how?

Keys nudged Kairi in the side, disturbing her from her inner thoughts, and he pointed into the sky as well. "What's that?" he asked, pointing up to a white light that was growing from the spot the star had vanished.

_It's…_ Kairi thought in astonishment, _growing brighter. Coming closer!_

"What is it?" she asked as the light lessened in size, but grew in intensity. Now she could discern that it was an object, hurtling towards them at a high speed. Kairi braced for impact against Whamon's head, and Sora and Mimi let out squeals of terror while the digimon and storytellers stopped to watch it. Just before it would have slammed into Kairi it stopped, and hovered in the air in front of her. It then plopped down into her lap and Kairi picked it up, running her fingers over its surface. She could feel a supple strength coming from the charm she held, of a white creature that seemed to be made entirely of white light.

"That's a summon charm Kairi," Keys pointed out as she held it close. "All you need to do is concentrate on the being inside, and it'll come to your aid." He then pulled out the Wolf and Dragon charms and showed them to her. "See. These two charms allow me to summon the wolf White Fang and the Aeon Bahamut."

"Wow," Sora said as she looked at them, her and Mimi and all the other digidestined and digimon having heard every word Keys said. Kairi then vanished the charm she held and looked up into the sky at the place where the star had vanished.

"We should check up on everyone," she said quietly to Keys. "Make sure that they're all okay."

* * *

Sora dove into his mind and stood atop his platform, barely sparing a glance for the image he stood upon, forcing his eyes not to look at his arm. He looked at the circle of Naminé and called to her spirit form to awaken and open up the connection to draw them all together again in mind. 

But she didn't come…

Sora raised his eyebrows and looked at the one of Roxas, hoping that he would then come out and explain why Naminé wasn't responding, but Roxas didn't appear either.

Unnerved now, Sora turned his head as light shimmered over the heart where Kairi's image resided and the spirit of the girl appeared, her expression frazzled.

"Kairi says she can't get Naminé to come out," she said. Sora looked behind her and saw Kairi standing on her own platform with a copy of himself. Sora immediately understood.

"She won't come to my call," he said. "And Roxas is a no show too." He saw the real Kairi nod as the Sora on her platform talked as he did, relating everything he said to her.

"Then I guess it's through the incredibly confusing work of us spirits that you'll have to communicate," the Kairi standing in front of him said. "And you'd better appreciate this," she said, folding her arms over herself though a small grin destroyed her ruse of annoyance, "because we spirits, though resembling our others at heart, have feelings of our own that can differ from our real counterparts. For instance, the spirit of Yuffie that resides within Riku could tell him what Yuffie would truly want him to do without Yuffie knowing, just as you could with me. But, I don't think _I_ would appreciate you using me for dating tips. And I could call you within your mind at any time to yell my head off at you if Kairi's really upset." Sora nodded, slightly fearful of the Kairi that dwelled within him, and looked past Riku's circle and saw a Sora and a Kairi appear on Riku's platform. A moment later Riku showed up there and his image glowed into existence in front of Sora.

"Where's Naminé?" he asked, talking for his true self. "And why aren't we on our regular meeting platform but are on our own platforms instead?"

"I don't know," Kairi said, taking her place as well as the Riku to speak as if in she really was Kairi. "Neither Sora or I can speak with her."

"And I can't reach Roxas either," Sora said. "Has something happened to them?" Riku rubbed the back of his head and glanced between the two of them.

"King Mickey did send us a message that there had been a major battle at Twilight Town today," he said cautiously, knowing he was moving into possibly explosive territory. "He said that Roxas and Naminé had come from the Radiant Garden to help, and that Nixion had been involved." Sora's eyes grew stark in terror and he glanced down at his side, where Nixion had sliced him.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice trembling. Before Kairi could get her word in Riku spoke again.

"Xehanort says that Roxas and Naminé were killed," he said rolling his eyes. "But he's just trying to psyche you guys out, you're spirits are currently attacking him because they know it isn't true."

"Then what is true?" Kairi stuttered in a squeak barely above a whisper. Riku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked down.

"They've both been taken to the hospital in Radiant Garden," he said sadly. "King Mickey said that the two of them and Axel were the only casualties, and Axel was nowhere near as bad as either of them."

"What happened?" Sora asked, his voice choking as his heart clogged his throat. Although he had never said it to anyone, he loved Roxas and Naminé as much as he did Riku. The three of them were like the brothers and sister he'd never had, and Roxas technically speaking was his brother now.

"They battled with Nixion," Kairi asked, her voice barely above a whisper as tears welled in her eyes, "didn't they?" True to the spirit's words, she had emotions of her own, independent of Kairi, and Sora could tell that those tears that refused to fall were partially from Kairi, but mostly from herself. Sora privately wondered if the spirits did anything while he wasn't present in his mind.

"Yeah," Riku answered, downcast. "Mickey didn't give us any details of what happened though. From what it sounded like, he hadn't been there when it happened, and Yen Sid had shown up and stopped Nixion from delivering the killing blow to Roxas."

"Thank Calypso that Yen Sid saved him," Sora said, breaking down. "I don't know what I'd do without Roxas."

"I don't know what any of us, especially Naminé, would do without Roxas," Kairi added. She turned to look at Sora with a pleading look in her eyes. "We have to go see them." Sora looked away from her, at Aiwemon's circle.

"The crests Kairi," he said. "We need the crests first. I want to rush to Roxas right now too, but remember what happened against Maleficent yesterday and now Nixion today? We need the crests and anything that could weaken our enemies, or else how many more days like this will there be?" Kairi choked for a moment and looked away, rubbing her arm.

"You're right." She looked sadly between Sora and Riku for a moment before hanging her head.

"I can tell you're both upset," Riku said sympathetically to Sora, coming forward to clap a hand on the smaller teen's shoulders.

"You aren't taking it so well either," Sora said, feeling how tense he was just through the hand. Riku shook his head.

"How can I?" he asked. "We're outnumbered, scattered, and weaker. If a three-on-one battle against Nixion with Roxas, Naminé, and Axel fighting can go awry, what hope do we have?"

"We just have to trust in those who are stronger than us," Kairi said, looking at the both of them. "I know we like to think of ourselves as strong, and that I'm crucial because of my light, but King Mickey and Master Yen Sid are stronger still. All we can do is trust their guidance."

"So we're just supposed to sit back and be pawns for a war that none of us wanted?" Riku asked. "I'm surprised that you're the one saying this Kairi." She suddenly snarled and lashed out at him with her tongue.

"Do you think I like this any better than you do?" she asked violently. "I don't! What I really want to do is find some uncharted world and take everyone I love there with me so that Maleficent can never bother us or hurt us again. But, that's a coward's way out, and I'm not going to become a coward now that she's done so much against us." Her eyes blazed and Riku removed his hand from Sora's shoulder, startled by the sudden change that had taken place in his female friend.

"Someone did away with my real parents, she's killed our parents, and now her subordinate has put a girl I love as a sister into a hospital. I'm not going to have the powers of darkness taking my loved ones away from me anymore!" She stopped with her fists clenched to her sides and stared defiantly into the black sky as she roared out to the heavens. Kairi's expression softened from the hard one it held and reverted into weariness.

"I'm going to go to sleep," she said, placing a hand to her head. "Goodnight Riku." Sora could see Kairi vanish from her platform, but the Sora and Riku that were there stayed and stared at each other. Riku looked pointedly at Sora.

"I don't like this," he said. "I really don't like this. I told Ansem that I couldn't help him with his revenge, but now I'm the one being vengeful."

"We'll get over it, in time," Sora replied sadly. "I just wish we could go back to the Islands, just to be at peace with our selves."

"Kairi feels the same way," Kairi said, looking at Sora. He nodded his thanks and she took her leave, vanishing into her heart in a white shimmer. Sora could feel the conversation ebbing away and he looked up at Riku.

"When do you finally get off the _Highwind_ and make world-fall again?" he asked.

"We arrive tomorrow at eight in the morning," Riku said. "Yuffie's slowly starting to warm up to me again, and it looked as if she had forgotten our argument when we got the message, but then she became cold again." He sighed and shook his head exasperatedly. "I'll just never understand women." Sora chuckled.

"Will any of us?" he asked rhetorically. "You will make it up to her tomorrow right?" Riku nodded his head in affirmation, a small smile playing on his lips as he looked at his best friend, knowing that he probably had it easier.

"I bet you understand Kairi though," he joked. "You two have really hit it off well." Sora laughed and shook his head.

"No," he replied. "I'm just making it all up as I go. I'm a newbie when it comes to dating." He barked another laugh and smiled warmly at Riku. "I remember just a little while ago that she told me we were acting just like all the couples that we've seen in the hallways at school. I didn't bother pointing out to her that there really were no couples when we were in junior high, that I missed the introduction to high school through sleeping though all of grade ten, and have only spent three arduous days of grade eleven actually at school!" He chuckled weakly to himself and looked up into the dark sky and began speaking almost to himself. "Will there ever be time for that anymore? Will danger always haunt my steps? Will I ever stop fighting long enough for me to start a career and maybe a family?" Riku's eyebrows raised and he sighed, jerking Sora out of his trance.

"I don't know Sora," he said. "Those are the same questions I ask myself, except adding in 'will the darkness in me ever consume me again?'"

"It won't Riku," Sora replied steadfastly. "You won't ever have to subject yourself to the darkness again unless you truly want it. But then, you'll be in control." Riku shook his head and Sora frowned at him. "There's something you haven't told us yet is there?" Riku sighed and looked down; only his friendship with Sora could cause him to tell his best friend the truth.

"After Roxas broke his arm fighting the Charr heartless we searched the Underworld for Hades, determined to get a known ally of Maleficent out the way. We combed every inch of that foul place and couldn't find him. After that, we started heading out for a new world, hoping to find one of the others. Along the way, I went into the simulator aboard the _Highwind_ and fought a Charr heartless, alone." Sora cringed as Riku said this and knew that it must have been painful. Riku looked down at his hand as he remembered the scene.

"I was losing," he said. "The heartless was just too good, or maybe it was simply too powerful at the time. Then I was called into my mind for the first time, by Xehanort's heartless. He managed to coax me into using the power of darkness I've always held in my heart after saying that it was simply a power that could be used for good or evil. I went back to the fight and obliterated the Charr, then I was called into my mind again and I met both yours and Kairi's spirits. They told me that if I used darkness for light, it wasn't either, and turned it into the power of dawn." He summoned Way to the Dawn into his hand and he engulfed it in fire. Sora stared at it without comprehension, the fire was tinged with darkness at its core, but then spread out into the golden colour of the Sun on a swift sunrise.

"The transition from night to day," Sora said to himself. "From darkness to light. It isn't both, it isn't either, it's not even twilight." Riku nodded and looked down at his flaming blade and smiled.

"You know," he said. "Every time while I was using the powers of darkness and looked like Xehanort, and I saw the golden rays of sunrise, I always felt a bubble of hope rise in me." Sora cracked a grin as Riku dismissed his keyblade.

"Riku," he said in astonishment. "I didn't know you were the mushy type." Riku laughed and wrestled Sora into a headlock.

"Like I said before Sora," he jested playfully. "I'm not a _total_ sap like you." His arms rubbed against Sora's face as the latter tried to struggle out of his grip and Riku released him, raising a hand to rub his chin and cheek. "You're going to need to shave soon Sora," he said. "I'm amazed that I haven't started to grow a beard yet." Sora shoved him off and waved away his friend' comment about his personal hygiene, it wasn't his fault after all. His mind suddenly came to the only other one travelling with Riku and he frowned.

"How's Max doing?" Sora asked, knowing the boy's friendship with Roxas and Naminé after training with the two of them in Neverland. Riku's smile slipped off of his face.

"He became a little moody after we got the news," Riku replied through a yawn. "And I have a feeling that he'll disregard his own safety if we fight tomorrow."

"Again…" Sora muttered quietly, remembering the battle they had fought on the Radiant Garden. "Watch over him."

"Don't worry," Riku said, "I will. You take care of yourself too." With that Sora bade him goodnight and returned his consciousness to his place atop Whamon's massive head, taking up his alias of 'Keys' once more. Kairi asked him no questions about what he and Riku talked about as she glanced at him, and Keys didn't answer. He didn't want Kairi to worry about Riku giving in to the darkness again, even if it wasn't darkness anymore; that was to be just between them.

"Roxas and Naminé will be alright Kairi," he whispered as he lay down to sleep, not answering anyone's questions for that night. "They have to be."

* * *

_And there's the end of this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to get it to you guys but I had a bit of a block. I did promise myself that I would update before Christmas though and here I am, updating. The next one should come along faster too._

_Clue for the Summon Charm: He is one of four Light Spirits that help the sacred beast in one of the latest installments of a highly popular video game series._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	36. The Seventh Keybearer

_I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but even with the Christmas Break and all, my life has just not allotted me writing time. I hope this chapter and the next few make up for it._

_Disclaimer: This again? By the time I finally finish this epic, I hope Kingdom Hearts will still not belong to me. Because if it did, I'd probably screw around with it too much.

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXVI: The Seventh Keybearer

Kairi was walking. That was all she knew as she silently moved through the pitch blackness around her. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear; all of her senses had gone numb while the darkness pressed itself around her. The only thing she could feel was its oppressive cloak binding her to this place, clinging onto her body like a parasite. It crawled its way around her, bringing her pain. Her movement's purpose was from the sole thought running through her mind.

She had to get away.

Her speed increased, and the darkness increased its hold, tightening the strands, already invisible in the pitch, that wound around her. The girl struggled, flailing her arms wildly in an attempt to break free. Success! Kairi broke free and ran, the dark following her relentlessly, trying to keep its prisoner of the light trapped. Kairi tripped and fell with a groan of despair and anguish. She turned onto her back and stared fearfully with unseeing eyes at the darkness as its oppressiveness enveloped her like a shadow once more. Kairi summoned the Oathkeeper to her hand in desperation. Holding the angelic keyblade aloft, she perceived that the darkness had halted, seemingly afraid of the light emanating from the white blade. Kairi nervously got to her feet, holding her captor at bay with threatening slashes of her keyblade. She felt the oppressive cloak lift away completely and held her left hand out behind her, light radiating from her fingertips. The light ripped through the darkness, and a hole leading out opened. Kairi didn't spare a glance behind her as she fled her prison into the light.

Her senses returned to her as she stood panting in the sunlight, the entrance to the dark realm closing behind her. She shakily brought a sweaty hand to her glistening forehead. She was shaking all over, and the bile in her throat threatened to rise even now after she had escaped from the place where all her dreams had been naught but ash and despair filled her heart.

A warm sea breeze greeted her, and her open mouth tasted the salty air as it passed through her lips. The soothing sound of waves breaking on the shore washed over her for some minutes while she calmed down. Kairi took one last deep breath and released it slowly before looking up from her beige-green boots.

She was standing at the base of the bent trunk that belonged to the paopu tree. There were still several of the yellow star shaped fruit mixed in with the broad green leaves in the tree's canopy. She turned her auburn clad head away from the tree and looked instead at the mountain that rose high on their small island, far enough away from the little islet where she stood now to be imposing. The mountain's peak was shattered, and many large rocks from its side were strewn about the beach, giving it a craggy look instead of the sandy white shores that had graced it previously. Entire sections of catwalk and parts of the wooden play buildings had been obliterated by the rockslide. The waterfall had been completely blocked off by a large stone, but water still trickled down its sides into a now overflowing pool, a small river of water streaming down towards the beach and ocean. The hole to the secret place was still there, but the vines covering it had been blown away and were now strewn about on the ground, withering into brown. The entrance was much larger now, and some of the rocks had been blasted right out of it, some unlikely candidates had been flung much farther than others. Kairi looked to the base of a nearby palm tree and saw the rock she and Sora had drawn on embedded deep within the wood.

A hand touched her shoulder and Kairi released the Oathkeeper before looking up. The owner appeared to be a tall teenage man, dressed in radiant blue armour. She removed his helmet and saw blue skin covering a handsome face, but his eyes and lips were black and hard as iron. Beautiful bluish brown locks flowed down his face, but they couldn't detract from his eyes and lips. Kairi could immediately feel that she disliked this man immensely, and it must have showed on her face. A yellow paopu fruit suddenly appeared in his hands and he shoved it towards her.

"You know the legend of this fruit princess," he said, his voice full of malice. "You and I shall share one here and now, and you shall be eternally bound to me, your knight of light." Kairi shook her head fearfully, but she wasn't sure why she was afraid until she felt how clammy his hand was as it touched an area she would currently have scolded Sora if he touched, pressing her closer to him. The knight pressed further with the paopu fruit and Kairi recoiled, but it was in vain; he was too close. The star shaped fruit rubbed against her mouth, and hard though she tried to resist, he was able to slip it under her clenched teeth and Kairi bit down into the fruit's flesh. Under certain circumstances (such as sharing one with Sora), she would have said that it was the most succulent fruit she had ever tasted, its sweet juices running down her throat and the corners of her mouth; but now the juice was bitter, and the fruit tasted like ash against her tongue. Kairi gagged and tried to spit it out, but the knight refused her and sealed her fate with a kiss. She desperately wanted to retch, to throw up into this horrendous man's mouth for doing this to her, subjecting her to the cold and dead feeling of his lips on hers. But her body disobeyed, and she couldn't do anything. Kairi's vision started to cloud, colour draining from everything she saw, leaving it as shadows. The knight broke the kiss, smirked and chuckled evilly as she swallowed. He raised the fruit to his own lips, preparing to bite into it. Kairi suddenly felt that she would rather be back in the prison of darkness she had just escaped from than be back here.

A blast of ice suddenly struck the man on the side of the head and he dropped the paopu fruit in surprise. Kairi looked in the direction the ice had come from and her sapphire eyes and heart filled with hope.

"Get away from her you bastard," Sora growled, holding the Oblivion's frosty blade tightly in his hands as he stood on the catwalk to the islet. Ohtarmon and Menelmon stood next to him, glaring at the knight in anger. The three of them seemed to glow with light, spreading colour back to the world. Kairi wanted to give a cry of joy, say something to them, but no sound escaped her lips. Sora glared down at him in a cold fury. "Hades," he spat, "I should have known earlier." The knight swung around and faced Sora and the digimon, drawing a dark blade rimmed with black fire from a hidden scabbard as his armour melted away to reveal the Lord of the Dead in his black robes, blue flames rising from his bald head.

"So the Keyblader _finally_ figured it out!" he roared in a chuckle. "You're pretty slow for a hero you know. Maybe you don't even deserve that title and should just go back to being a Junior Hero." Sora dipped his head down and spoke in a voice that Kairi couldn't hear. His head suddenly snapped up and fires stirred behind his irises. He flew at Hades, his toes barely skimming the wooden walkway. Ohtarmon rushed up behind him, his large mace ready in his burly arms. Menelmon screeched in on her wings, her brown eyes flaring in her haste to protect her partner. Light spread from both Menelmon and Kairi's digivice and a moment later Menelmon had digivolved into Soronmon. The black steel of the Oblivion met the dark blade Hades carried and sparks flew from the contact. Ohtarmon came in with his mace, breaking against Hades in a white explosion. Soronmon flew high above them and icicles rained down on Hades.

Fire came from Hades' remaining hand while he held off Sora's keyblade with his sword and he swiped out against Ohtarmon. The champion grunted as he took the blow with his armour before he blocked a fireball with his mace. Kairi stopped watching as an icy specter of Soronmon's head crashed into the God's back after he had sent Sora flying away from a fireball fired at point blank range. A sharp pain was developing deep within her heart, as if pure darkness was within her, clawing at her insides, making her cold. Warmth came from her side and Kairi searched for its source. She withdrew the charm that she recognized getting on Whamon's head and tossed it into the air.

Out of a white mist grew an intense light coming from the charm. All the colour returned to Kairi and the cold left her forever as the light flooded within her and the three others nearby. The light vanished and Hades growled at her in anger.

"You little bitch!" he roared as his skin turned red and flames spouted all over him. "I'll destroy you for taking away my powers of darkness!" He raised his sword, but it was blocked by the Oblivion as Sora appeared in front of him out of thin air.

"YOU WON'T LAY A FINGER ON KAIRI!" Sora bellowed as a golden light glowed from his chest. Ohtarmon glowed with the same light, and Kairi realized that he was digivolving to the next level. His body grew until he stood at eight and a half feet tall, and the light dropped to reveal his new form. His armour had gone from shining steel to burnished gold, and his helmet now covered his entire head, the sides jutting out in front and two small, white swan wings sprouted from the sides. Not even a visor was present on it as the only open holes were those of his eyes. The silver pattern of a glittering seven pointed star was on the helm. His mace was gone, to be replaced instead by a radiant golden lance and a red tower shield. Sora's crown was embossed in gold in the center of the shield and the image of a white hawk with its wings raised and talons bared crossed over the crown, clearly displaying how close the two partners were.

"Shivering Spear!" the ultimate level digimon yelled, striking out at Hades with his golden spear, which had turned to a silvery-blue as it dropped in temperature. He struck Hades with his lance at the same moment that Sora dug the Oblivion into him, and the God of the Underworld vanished in a puff of smoke and flame. Sora turned around and gave Kairi a comforting grin as she smiled. Kairi's smile slipped off her face when a shadow passed over Sora. Her eyes glazed over in horror as she shakily pointed behind Sora. She wanted to warn him verbally too, but her breath caught in her throat and her mouth wouldn't form the word 'Maleficent'. Sora turned around just as Maleficent thrust at his chest with Hades' dropped sword. His partner was faster on the uptake though and drove his lance in the way, so the sword only struck his arm instead of his heart. Maleficent still smirked and vanished as quickly as she had come. They all gasped as Sora's arm suddenly grew dark, very dark. It swung around on its own accord as it became as black as pitch and knocked his Sora's partner away. Golden light formed around the digimon and he de-digivolved back to Ninquemon.

Sora struggled to restrain his arm, but it moved as if it had a mind of its own and he was no longer in control of it. It suddenly lurched forward towards Kairi and grasped her by the throat. The eyes of both her and Sora became teary as her feet left the ground, Sora's dark arm started to crush the air out of her windpipe. Kairi couldn't breathe, she could barely see while she struggled against its touch. She wanted to scream at the pain she was experiencing.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, she really was screaming. Screaming her lungs out from atop Whamon's giant brown head as she slept through the worst nightmare she'd ever experienced. Keys held onto her in his arms, bracing her head with his left arm while a look of confused pain adorned his face. It grieved him to see Kairi in this much pain from something as seemingly insignificant as a dream. Aiwemon was perched on his shoulder and had one wing wrapped around Keys' head, trying to comfort him while he too looked worriedly at Kairi. Menelmon had wrapped her wings tenderly over Kairi's stomach and was looking concernedly at the poor girl, shaking her softly. All the other digidestined and digimon were up and surrounding them, trying to piece together just what was happening to her.

"Why is Kairi screaming so much Matt?" T.K. asked his older brother, clinging onto Matt's leg. Yamato could only blinkingly stare at the girl as she writhed in pain.

"I don't know T.K.," he whispered in fear. Sora knelt down and touched Kairi's sweating forehead.

"She must be having a nightmare," she said. "But it has to be worse than any dream I've ever had for her to be reacting like this."

"What's happening up there?" Whamon asked worriedly. "Are we under attack?" His questions went unheeded as Kairi screamed once more, startling all of them.

"Her actions are so illogical," Izzy said. "No dream, no dream could cause a person to cry in pain like that."

"Unless the pain was coming straight from her heart Izzy," Sora replied, looking up from Kairi's clammy forehead to glare disapprovingly at the computer genius.

"This is scary," Mimi said from a kneeling position, Palmon holding her back comfortingly.

"I've never seen anything like this," Joe said anxiously. "I've had to deal with first aid stuff before, but how do you give first aid to someone suffering from a nightmare?"

"Kairi's in pretty bad shape," Gabumon said, retreating a step as she howled and jerked towards him. "Do you know any reason as to why she would be acting this way Keys?" The teen shook his head with a tear welling in his eye.

"No," he breathed, his voice catching in his throat. "I don't know." He hated not knowing what was happening to her. He hated it then and he hated it now, only more so. This time she was in his arms, and it felt all the worse as compared to the last time she was in a position like this. Because unlike when she had lost her heart, there was nothing he could do this time. Tai and Agumon exchanged glances while Menelmon gently rocked Kairi with her wings.

"Kairi," she whispered, "wake up. Please wake up." Her howls slowly ceased and her breathing steadied, but tears started streaming down her cheeks.

"Kairi, Kairi," Keys gently called. "Open your eyes." To their immense relief her eyelids slowly fluttered open, but they had barely caught a glimpse of her cerulean irises before they were buried in Keys' shoulder. Aiwemon took flight from the sudden crash into his partner as the rookie lost his balance. Keys hesitated for half a heartbeat before wrapping his arms tenderly around her, Kairi sobbing her heart out to him. Nobody spoke or made any noise while they simply sat there, Keys rubbing Kairi's back comfortingly while she clutched him as closely as she could.

"It was worse this time," she said through her sobs.

"Worse?" Keys asked worriedly. "What do you mean worse?"

"Remember when I told you two nights ago about that dream I had?" Kairi asked shakily. "It was much worse this time." Keys' eyes darkened as the memory of what she told him came to mind. He brought her closer and placed a hand comfortingly to the back of her head. Kairi winced when she felt it as his left.

"What is she talking about?" Tai whispered to Menelmon. "Did she say anything to you about a dream?" The little rookie shook her head and glanced anxiously at her partner. She opened her beak to speak but stopped when Keys began before her.

"Kairi I'm so sorry," he cooed before falling silent for a minute in thought while Kairi slowly calmed down. He pulled her back and looked deeply into her eyes, wincing inside that they still held fear. "Will you tell me what you saw this time?" he asked hesitantly. "Other than that you cut off my arm." The others around them gasped at what he said but Kairi shook her head.

"No," she whispered painfully. "It's still too fresh. The only way this could be worse is if it actually happens." Kairi stood up shakily and walked away from the group. Keys watched her go, saddened at the distance she wanted to put between them but knowing that she just needed a little time alone to think. As soon as she was gone though, the others crowded around him, demanding an explanation in hoarse whispers. Keys didn't answer immediately and took to looking at Kairi with worry.

_She needs more comfort than I can give,_ he thought dismally. _I know she's glad that I'm here for her, but I can't make the pain go away like someone else can._ He sighed sadly as his thoughts strayed to his mother and Kairi's foster mother.

_She needs her mother now more than me. Why, oh why did Maleficent order Cossex to kill them all? The only ones we have to look to for support now are each other, but what we need most is an adult figure who cares so much more for us. Much though we all like to get away from them sometimes, we need them more than anyone else. Who do we turn to for guidance through life now?_ He suddenly noticed the other digidestined's pestering and frowned at them as they broke his musing.

"Okay fine," Keys relented. "Two nights ago, the day before we came to the digital world, Kairi had a nightmare like this one. Only she hadn't been screaming or crying in agony. In fact I only woke up when she suddenly clutched my shirt. All I got from her then was that in her dream we were by a special tree back on our world and she cut off my left arm."

"Why would she dream about something scary like that?" T.K. asked.

"What's so significant about that?" Matt asked, glancing back at Kairi. Keys didn't answer immediately, but looked instead at Aiwemon and Menelmon.

"You both remember when we called you in," he said directly to them. "You remember the platform we all stood on." They both nodded in affirmation while the others looked at them in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Agumon asked Aiwemon quietly. The bird digimon looked at the larger, but still small, tyrannosaur.

"We'll tell you later," he whispered back.

"We each have our own stained glass platform," Keys continued, acting like nothing had happened. "Every being does but not every being sees theirs. I've seen mine. And on it, my arm, my _left_ arm, is metal." Mimi snapped a hand up to her mouth while the others, including his partner, looked at him in horror.

"You see why this is hurting Kairi so much?" Keys asked. "If she's the one who cuts off my arm, then… no, I won't say it. I don't really want to think about it." He looked away from them and suggested something about them going back to sleep while he would keep an eye on Kairi. They all hesitantly agreed, but not before sharing a nervous glance with each other. Despite the dark things they had already encountered, this was far more sinister than anything they had ever planned on encountering. Tai and Sora walked further away from the others and stood silently, staring up at the stars while unconsciously glancing at each other from time to time. Finally they caught each other's eyes and they both blushed lightly.

"Tai I'm worried about them," Sora said at last, finally plucking up the courage to speak.

"Huh?" the goggle-headed leader replied, looking over at Keys, who was watching Kairi anxiously as the girl fell asleep again.

"Can't you see it in their faces Tai?" Sora asked in concern. "Look at Keys. I know he's trying his best, but he's wallowing in despair inside."

"Yeah," Tai said, looking at the older boy. "I see it now. They've bitten off more than they can chew, and it wasn't them that decided to eat."

"Something bad has happened," Sora whispered. "I knew it as soon as I saw that star vanish and remembered what Kairi told us about when that happens. And then when they came out of those trances I saw pain and grief in their eyes. Something really bad has happened recently. The side of light, _our_ side, is losing." Tai nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But what help can we give them? I mean, we're just kids."

"And so are they Tai," Matt answered suddenly from nearby, having overhead much of the conversation. He approached the two with his hands in his jean pockets but kept his eyes on Keys. "They may be a few years older than us Tai," he said. "But they're still kids too. But unlike us they've seen and fought things far worse than Devimon, except now they're fighting a battle they can't win without help."

"I ask again then," Tai said quietly. "What help can we give them?" Matt shrugged.

"Cheer 'em up," he replied nonchalantly. "Help them find their crests. I don't know. Something, anything to help out the worlds."

"Should one of us go with them?" Sora asked. "Help them out that way too?" Tai shook his head.

"No," he answered. "Aiwemon and Menelmon are already going with them, but I don't think we'll be able to handle things on the Digital World if more than just them leave the group." Matt and Sora looked down uncertainly, none of them meeting the others' gaze.

"So then we just cheer them up and make their crests a priority then?" Sora said uncomfortably, shifting her glance towards Keys again. He had his head in his hands and was rubbing his eyes. "I feel that we should be doing more for them."

"What more can we do?" Tai asked, rhetorically and dismally.

* * *

Smoke gently rose from the chimneys of many huts in the early morning light, their thatched roofs taking in the last of the star and moonlight. A tall tree stands in the middle of the village, and atop it is perched another hut. A stream trickles in from the east of the village and drops down a set of rocks to become a small waterfall before the stream then leaves towards the beaches to the north. It is an old village, protected by a seemingly thin palisade wall. Beyond to the south and immediate east a wide belt of forest lay, and the village backed up against the shores of the sea to the north and west. The year is 50 B.C., and Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely… One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum, and Compendium.

These camps were situated in a ring beyond the forest, in an effort to keep the Gauls penned in like rabbits. Aquarium resided the furthest west of the four, swiftly followed by Totorum a few miles to the east, southeast; conveniently putting it the furthest away from the village. Laudanum came next, striking further north and east, and Compendium hugged the coast, furthest east but closest to the village.

Dawn broke over the coasts of Armorica, and the innocent cock crowed in the Gaulish village as the first golden rays of the Sun peeped over the horizon. Almost immediately the rooster was joined by a voice raised in song as a person strode out of the hut on the treetop, striking a melody on a lyre. The sky began to rumble and dark storm clouds started to envelop the sky above the village as the bard continued to sing off key to greet the new day, discord blaring through his song like a flashing neon light. A burly man with blonde hair and thick burly mustache (also blonde), wearing a pair of red pants and a black apron left his hut. The man quickly went to the anvil sitting in front of the hut and heaved a block hammer from beside his anvil into his muscled arms.

"BE QUIET CACOFONIX!" Fulliautomatix, the blacksmith roared, flinging the hammer at the bard. The song was promptly abandoned as the hammer struck the bard in the head and the gathering storm clouds dissipated. The bard's, Cacofonix's that is, singing, while great to his own ear, was more frequently frowned upon by the other inhabitants of the village. He was dressed in a blue and white checkered shirt and white breeches, a red cape draped across his back. Cacofonix recovered from the blow and instantly stormed to the edge of the platform baring his fist at the blacksmith.

"Barbarian!" he yelled, with his sleek blonde hair and mustache molted from the hammer blow. "You wouldn't know art if it hit you in the face!" Without warning a fish with a horrendous odor, tossed expertly from outside the hut directly below Cacofonix's, struck the bard in the face.

"You've finally found a use for your smelly fish," Fulliautomatix said approvingly to the fishmonger, standing outside his hut. Unhygenix was much like the other two with his blonde hair and mustache, except his hair was braided back behind his head in a long tail. He was plumper than Fulliautomatix, with less muscle and more fat. His black shirt covered up part of his red pants, with a brown leather belt that threatened to burst running around his midriff. The fishmonger's eyes bulged as he looked at the blacksmith.

"How dare you insult the freshness of my fish!" he cried, grabbing a nearby herring and flinging it into the Fulliautomatix's face. The man roared in rage more than loud enough to wake everyone who wasn't already awake and rushed at the fishmonger, the fish that slapped him swinging wildly in his hands.

"I wouldn't call it very fresh if it reeks worse than a Goth!" he yelled, taking a mighty swing at Unhygenix. The fish slapped him across the chest and Unhygenix bellowed back into his house as he grabbed a fish from the only basket he had brought outside.

"Bacteria dear, keep the rest of the baskets inside! Hide the lot!" he swung at Fulliautomatix with his fish like a sword, smacking the blacksmith across the ribs with it.

"Why you!"

"I'll have you know sir that I import my fish fresh every week from Lutetia! Only the finest!"

"And by the time it gets here it's gone rotten!" Fulliautomatix retorted. "I wouldn't feed your fish to the Romans!" The fight escalated, and within moments Geriatrix, ninety-three years young, had spotted the brawl and was running towards it merrily, his walking cane raised.

"Punch up!" the short elder called in his dark blue shirt and white breeches. Few needed reminding of the quarrel brewing between the fishmonger and blacksmith though, as men from all over the village began arriving to take part in the fun. A small warrior in a black shirt and red breeches slowly came out of his hut and strode towards an old man watching the fight from afar near the front of the warrior's hut.

"Good morning Asterix," the man said humourously, looking at the punch up.

"Good morning to you too Getafix," the small warrior said, a twinkle in his eyes as he too watched the fight. The druid Getafix stroked his long white beard, chuckling slightly to himself. He was robed entirely in white, with a red cape on his back and a brown belt holding up a golden sickle. A curl of white hair flowed from the back of his otherwise bald head and grew around the upper portion of his ears before swinging down and joining the beard. His white mustache was distinguishable from his beard though, resting overtop of the larger sculpture of hair and parting down from each side of his bulbous nose. Asterix was quite the opposite of the druid, short but stout, with a bulbous nose to match all the Gauls of the village. His bald spot was completely covered by a small iron helmet with white angelic wings pointed upwards and back slightly. Dashing blonde hair curled around the back of his head and over his ears, while he too had a blonde mustache similar to the others. A green belt with three golden circles in the center was over his shirt, and strapped to it was a blue scabbard with intricate golden lacing that protected his prized short sword. Also on the belt was a small green gourd.

"They're at it again eh?" Asterix asked the druid warmly, watching the fight slyly. "Still going on about Unhygenix's fish?" Getafix giggled and placed a finger to his nose.

"If they ever send any fish to the Romans they may try to feed us to the lions for the creation of biological warfare," the druid said wisely. Asterix gave a dry chuckle and glanced behind the druid to the hut that was just across the path from his.

"Hm," Asterix said. "Obelix hasn't come rushing out of his hut yet. Do you think something might be wrong?" Getafix smiled and shook his head.

"No," he said. "He's probably still sleeping off that eighth boar he had last night. If I've told him once, I've told him a hundred times: Don't exceed your limits." Clouds formed again overhead as Cacofonix started to sing once more from inside his hut. Getafix grumbled as rain started to pour and lightning flashed.

"Cacofonix will scare away every boar in the forest if he keeps that up," he growled to himself. Asterix watched dismally through the rain as Fulliautomatix quickly took himself away from the fight, grabbed an axe and started swinging at the base of Cacofonix's tree. The bard instantly stopped singing and rushed outside of his hut, his face livid.

"Stay away from my tree you unsophisticated mongrels!" he yelled in anger, baring his fist at the group below him while the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed. A fish slapped him in the face again and Cacofonix fell off the platform directly into the brawl. Within moments he was attempting to strangle Fulliautomatix with his lyre.

"Hey, here comes the chief," Asterix said, pointing at the largest hut. Chief Vitalstatistix was rushed out of his hut, being borne on his blue white circular shield with a great white star painted on its center by his two shield bearers. The chief was a man of imposing girth, not as muscled as Fulliautomatix, yet not as chubby as Unhygenix, and his head sported orange hair unlike the traditional blonde of the other villagers or white of old Geriatrix and the druid Getafix. A bald spot was covered by the helmet he wore, two small white wings with black tips darting out from its sides. His red cape billowed about behind him in his green shirt and vertically striped blue and black breeches. A sword lay in a golden sheath strapped to his right side on his thin white belt.

"Will you all stop it!" he roared, causing the brawl to come to an abrupt end in a compromising position for several people. "There is no discipline anymore in this village. You will all bow down to me and my authority." He suddenly slipped off of his shield as his two carriers left it to bow before him.

"Not you!" he roared in frustration.

"But chief," one of them mumbled. "You said all."

"You two nimrods are supposed to keep me up!" Vitalstatisitx yelled with a reddened face. "You're both really getting me down!"

"Aren't we supposed to be keeping him up?" one bearer asked the other.

"I think so," the other replied, looking uncertainly at the chief. Asterix and Getafix chuckled quietly to themselves while the rest of the villagers broke off randomly from the fight, going this way and that about their business. Asterix turned his head at the sound of quick and heavy footfalls and saw his best friend Obelix with his little dog Dogmatix rushing out of his hut.

"Don't start without me," he yelled, moving towards the Unhygenix's hut.

"It's too late Obelix," Getafix said. "They've already finished." Obelix grumbled and shuffled his feet with his hands behind his back.

"It's always the same," he muttered. "They go and have a nice fight without me whenever the Romans aren't acting up. I haven't had a nice punch up in four days!" Obelix was a unique specimen among the residents of the Gaulish village. A menhir delivery-man by trade, addicted to wild boar, and not fat, he was in his own words well-covered. He was much more well-covered than either Unhygenix or Vitalstatistix. A small round helmet was perched on top of his head and red pigtails came down on either side of his head with a short chop of red hair around the back. Black bowties were on the bottom of his pigtails and his short horizontal whiskers made the look. Obelix wore no shirt, but only a pair of breeches with a very wide waistline that had vertical blue and white stripes, held up by a green belt with a golden buckle. Vertical stripes were the slimming variety after all.

"You slept in didn't you Obelix?" Asterix asked slyly. "I heard about the eighth boar from Getafix. You know that if you eat too much you'll fall asleep."

"But Asterix," Obelix reasoned. "It was only a little boar, hardly counts as half of one I'd say." Asterix chuckled and shook his head.

"Why don't we go hunting to fill that belly of yours?" he said, already moving down the path. "I promise you that if we find a Roman patrol, you can have them all to yourself." Obelix brightened up at the prospect and hurried along after Asterix, his little Dogmatix yapping excitedly as he followed his master.

* * *

Riku, Yuffie, and Max arrived in the middle of a forest path, not quite knowing where they were as they looked around at the lush foliage.

"So where exactly are we?" Max asked in a subdued voice as they started walking randomly. Riku shrugged his shoulders.

"The computer said that this world was called 'Gaul'," he replied. "Whatever that means?" He spotted a rose bush to the side of the path and quickly swiped a flower in its full bloom without the others noticing. They walked for some time, not meeting a soul along the path, but enjoying the stroll through the wilderness none the less. Riku glanced over at Yuffie and saw her face softening as she slowly ambled as she walked to his right with Max in the lead. Max stopped suddenly in front of them and started peering ahead with narrowed eyes. The road made a three-way fork about ten feet in front of them, and the three paths diverged in such a way that they couldn't see anything further than a foot into each path.

"What is it?" Riku asked. Max made a motion for him to be quiet.

"I can hear something coming down each side of the path," he whispered quietly.

"Heartless?" Riku asked. Max shook his head.

"No," he replied, "people. But the ones on the left are wearing armour and are marching in formation."

"How can you hear that?" Yuffie asked. Max smiled and raised one of his floppy ears.

"Sometimes it pays to be part canine," he said. "Shush! I hear them." Voices coming from the left hand side suddenly reached their ears.

* * *

"I sure hope we don't meet any of the Gauls today," the voice of a Roman soldier carried over to Asterix and Obelix, Obelix carrying two boars underneath his arms and Asterix with one over his shoulder.

"Be quiet Tooloudus," another soldier whispered while Obelix dropped his boars and began rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Romans Asterix," he said pleasantly. "Romans!" Asterix simply grinned at his companion and moved down the path with Obelix and Dogmatix at his side until they reached the bend. And there stood the dozen Romans in their finest blue legionary armour, who upon taking site of the Gauls instantly froze in fear. Asterix also saw three other people down the other side of the fork in the road out of the corner of his eye, but they weren't Romans so he paid them no mind.

"IT'S THE CRAZY GAULS!!" the leader of the patrol screamed in terror, dropping his weapons and biting his nails.

"Ooh, can I Asterix?" Obelix asked, bounding up and down behind the small warrior. Asterix simply laid his boar down on the ground and leaned up against it, examining his nails and regarding the quaking Romans with disinterest while the three on the other side of the road started to run forward to their aid.

"Like I said Obelix," the cunning warrior said, grinning at the well-covered Gaul, "they're all yours." Obelix quickly rushed past him and grabbed an unlucky legionary by the foot and started swinging him around wildly.

"Run!" the patrol leader screamed. "Run for your life!"

"Too late!" the legionary who was being swung around like a tetherball roared wildly in pain as he smashed into several of his fellows.

"These Romans are crazy," Obelix muttered as he punched one of them hard enough to send him crashing into two fleeing legionaries' backs. "I haven't even started yet and they're already worn out." Asterix looked up from his nails at the three people who had rushed to their aid, standing stock still with gaping mouths, completely speechless at the one-man menace wrecking havoc against the Roman legionaries. One of them had long silvery-lilac hair draping down his back with long bangs that obscured his eyes while another he could only describe as some kind of dog-human, but the strangest was the third companion. She was evidently the only female of the group and had short raven hair, and was wearing breeches and boots. _Incredibly short breeches that left the majority of her legs bare!_ Even though Asterix had been a steady bachelor, just the sight of those gorgeous legs started to tempt him.

"I take it you aren't from around here," Asterix said, removing himself from the boar carcass and striding up to the three, taking great care not to look the woman in the eyes, or legs. The one with the mixed hair colour smirked at him as he was brought out of his trance while Obelix continued to pummel the few remaining Romans.

"No," he answered. "We aren't." The boy then looked over at Obelix and frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "We thought you might have needed some help," he said unsurely, "when we heard the soldiers. But it looks like you can take care of yourselves on your own."

"That we can," Asterix answered stretching his arm up to shake hands with the boy, "er…"

"Riku," the boy answered, bending down to shake the Gaul's hand. He then indicated his companions with a motion of his hands. "Max." The dog-like boy raised his hand and bent down to shake Asterix's. "And this is-"

"Yuffie," the girl said icily, glaring at Riku while she shook the small warrior's hand. She got up and stalked away, throwing her nose in the air as she passed Riku. Asterix placed his hand beside his mouth and leaned towards Riku.

"Bit of a stick in the mud?" he asked. Riku sighed and shook his head.

"No," he replied. "She's just angry with me." Asterix cringed.

"That can be a pain." Riku nodded in the affirmative. Asterix turned his head and saw Obelix coming towards them, Romans moaning on the ground behind him while he held a stack of helmets in one hand while Dogmatix yipped happily at his heels.

"Join the legion they said," one of them muttered. "Have fun and adventure they said."

"Be quiet Cowardus," another said.

"I feel quite refreshed Asterix," Obelix said. "But they felt a bit soft to me; Ceaser should really train them more before sending them to us." Asterix gave a dry chuckle and waved to the three companions.

"Obelix, allow me to introduce you to our new friends: Riku, Yuffie, and Max." Obelix looked pleasantly at Riku and Max, but he dropped his helmets in surprise when he saw Yuffie and buckled over, hysterical laughter coming from his mouth despite his efforts to conceal it.

"Obelix be quiet," Asterix shushed quietly. Obelix let out a guffaw of laughter in response. Yuffie's eyebrows narrowed and she came towards him. "I'm sorry," Asterix apologized, removing his helmet and placing it in front of his chest. "He's never seen a woman in breeches before." Yuffie's face went blank before she looked down at herself. Her head returned to its normal position and she glared at Obelix.

"That's alright Asterix," she said hardly. "What would this fatso know about shorts?" Obelix instantly stopped his laughter and smacked Yuffie up into the sky.

"I am not fat!" he bellowed while committing the deed before placing a hand to his chest in indignation. "Just well covered that's all."

"Yuffie!" Riku yelled, running to a spot beneath her to catch her when she fell. Asterix didn't notice this though as he brought a shaky hand towards Obelix, shaking with rage.

"You hit a woman Obelix!" he bellowed. "How dare you!" Obelix looked indignantly at his friend.

"She called me fat Asterix!" he retorted. "How very untrue."

"Obelix you're really starting to get me down! I would never hit a woman!"

"Oh sure! Mr. Asterix would never hit a woman if she called him short! Or if she kissed him without his permission." (A/N 1)

Riku was paying no attention to this as he caught Yuffie in his arms. She clutched onto him tightly, her fierce grip startling him. She opened her eyes after she heard his slight chuckle and stared at him, preparing to scold him. Riku could see it coming, but she had stopped when their eyes met, so close to each other. Riku thought he saw a faint blush come to her cheeks, but it was gone in a flash.

"Thanks," she muttered, getting out of his arms. Riku steeled his heart and kept a hold of her hand.

"Yuffie wait," he said quietly. The girl turned and looked at him coldly. Riku sighed and drew his gaze away from her; he couldn't bear to look into her eyes.

"Yuffie I'm sorry for making you worry," he said quietly. He slowly looked up to meet her eyes and drew the rose out of his back pocket. "Can you forgive me?" Yuffie's expression softened and she took the rose from his hands before she stuck it in her hair. She giggled slightly and stretched onto her tiptoes and patted his head.

"Good boy," she said with an approving smirk. "Don't do it again." She finished with the slightest kiss on the cheek and moved a few paces away from them to observe Obelix and Asterix forgiving each other for their argument.

"Um," Max said cautiously in confusion as he approached Riku. "What just happened?" Riku wasn't quite sure himself. Yuffie's reaction blew him completely out of the water and was not what he had expected at all. Did this mean he had salvaged what precious relationship he had with his crush?

_Crush_, he thought in confusion. _Is it just a crush we have? A small, passing fancy brought together through what looked like imminent death?_ It would explain why he felt more tickled and made him blush whenever Yuffie smiled at him than he believed Sora did when Kairi did the same. The same feeling bubbled in his chest as when he had had that crush on Kairi. As far as he knew, his best friends' love was far deeper than what he thought he might have for Yuffie, but they'd also known each other much longer.

"I think," Riku replied, "she _might _have forgiven me. Do you know if falling in love takes time?" Max almost jumped at the question.

"Well, yeah it takes time," he replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the universe. "You can't truly fall in love with a person when you first lay eyes on them. It needs to develop. Why do you ask?" Riku didn't answer the question but Max nodded anyway. "Ah… you don't quite know if you love Yuffie yet."

"Why are these things never clear?" Max gave a dry chuckle behind him.

"Would they be any easier if they were?" he asked wisely. Riku grunted slightly and smiled.

"Maybe not," he relented. His sixth sense suddenly sprung into action and he looked around, his face hardening. "You feel them?" he asked, his eyes sweeping amongst the bodies of the semi-conscious Roman legionaries. He heard Max unsheathe his sword from the scabbard that was slung across his back.

"I can smell them too," he said angrily. "Damn heartless reek of darkness."

"Excuse me Riku," Asterix said, looking up at him. "But why are you tensed up? These are the only Romans about."

"They aren't the only enemies here though," Riku growled, hunting with his eyes for his prey. His aqua gaze spotted a small dark blotch flitting along the ground around their group. Way to the Dawn appeared in his hand and he dashed past Asterix and Obelix's startled expressions to run his blade through the shadow as it took form. It vanished in a puff of darkness and he turned around to look at them. Yuffie pulled out her shuriken and began sweeping the area with her eyes, but Asterix was taking a glug out of the small green gourd that he had strapped to his belt. After a slight pause, the small warrior flung himself at Riku, his eyes blazing. Riku was taken by surprise, and the next thing he knew he had been punched straight into a tree, which toppled from the force of the blow. He heard Dogmatix howl in despair, but his eyes only registered the enraged face of Asterix as the small Gaul pressed himself up against Riku's torso, one fist raised to punch his face.

"How do you have that?" he growled, inclining his head towards Riku's keyblade. Riku looked at it for a half a second before scowling at Asterix.

"What's it to you?" he retorted, feeling anger surface within him. He brought the Guardian out of him and it reared up, grabbing Asterix. As soon as the Gaul saw what it was though, he instantly softened up and smiled at Riku.

"So you're the new wielder of Dawn then," he said in recognition of the Guardian's colouring. "Old Balhafa kicked the bucket then?" Riku stopped and had the Guardian set Asterix down gently, but he still looked at the Gaul with suspicion. He brandished Way to the Dawn in front of him, hoping to intimidate the small man. His effort was in vain though as Asterix simply yawned and folded his arms, smirking at Riku.

"You can't frighten me, wielder of the keyblade," he said pointedly. Riku started at the accusation, but any question he might have posed was silenced when he heard Yuffie's shuriken whipping through the air.

"Riku!" Max called. "They've arrived." Riku scowled at Asterix.

"We'll talk later," he said, moving towards the battle zone. Asterix smiled and rubbed his chin as the boy left.

"It's been a long time since I've seen another wielder," he mused to himself. "I wonder what brings him to Gaul." He then ran forward after Riku. They had arrayed themselves in a ring, with several black creatures surrounding them. They appeared to be made only of the darkest shadows as they took the form of men, sharp claws on their hands and long, pointy antennae-like ears. Asterix shivered as he was pierced by the gaze of a set of yellow eyes.

Riku moved forward first and struck his blade against one of the neoshadows, tendrils of darkness starting to leak out of the wound he inflicted on its shoulder. Max bared his sword in front of him and glared at the heartless.

"This is for Roxas and Naminé!" he roared as he charged into the ring. He impaled his sword straight into the head of one of the enemies and it vanished entirely from the mortal injury.

"By Toutatis!" Asterix bellowed, rushing the ring with Obelix at his side. The two Gaulish warriors each delivered a punch to the heartless and the neoshadows plummeted towards the trees, turning into mists as they struck against the trunks of the mighty oaks.

"Let's eliminate these heartless," Yuffie said, slashing her shuriken at a neoshadow, only to find that it was the last one.

"Asterix," Obelix asked, "would you please tell me what those shadows were? They aren't something new that Ceaser's sent are they?" Asterix shook his head.

"I don't think old Julius sent these things," he muttered. "But all the same we should tell Getafix and Vitalstatistix. The village needs to be warned. They give me the creeps." They picked up their boars again and started moving out with Riku, Max, and Yuffie in tow as they left the Romans on the ground.

"Okay," one of them whispered. "They're gone. Let's go back to Totorum."

* * *

"Heartless you say?" chief Vitalstatistix asked.

"Yes," Riku answered. "They roam the worlds, stealing hearts from living creatures to increase their numbers." A council meeting was being held in the chief's hut as usual, Vitalstatistix sitting high up on a chair with his shield under him. Asterix, Obelix, and Getafix were present as well as Max and Yuffie.

"I wouldn't worry about us if I were you Riku," Vitalstatistix said. "The only thing we Gauls fear is that the sky will fall on our heads."

"You should fear the heartless at least a little," Max said sheepishly. "They aren't to be trifled with." Getafix raised a hand with his finger pointed up importantly.

"Never fear Max," he said. "We have a secret weapon that not even the heartless will be able to overcome."

"Really?" Yuffie asked. "What is it?" Getafix smiled slyly.

"The reason why the Romans have never been able to conquer our little village," he said, "is because of a special potion of my own concoction. It gives the drinker superhuman strength, as I think you all witnessed in your scuffle." Riku groaned and patted his stomach.

"So that's why it hurt so much when you knocked me into that tree," he said, looking over at Asterix. "Which reminds me, how do you know of the keyblade?"

"Keyblade?" Getafix said in surprise before the little warrior could answer. "How do you know of it?" Riku summoned Way to the Dawn into his hand as an answer.

"It's the only weapon that can truly defeat the heartless," he said. "My friends and I have only wielded keyblades since they started causing trouble summer before last. I don't know how long Mickey has had the keyblade though."

"_King_ Mickey Riku," Asterix corrected slyly. Riku nodded.

"Sorry, _King_ Mic-" he stopped and started at the small warrior.

"How-?" Max asked, but he was interrupted when a weapon abruptly appeared in Asterix's hands. Its hilt was carved like two boar tusks, leaving the bottom open. A keychain that resembled a horned cap helmet hung off of the end of a brown handle. The blade was brown as oak with a pattern of a black wild boar fleeing for its life down the shaft towards the tip of the blade. A curved golden sickle reared up near the brown tip of the blade.

"Is that-?" Riku asked in shock. Asterix nodded.

"This is the Indomitable," he said, "my keyblade." Riku's complexion cleared and he chuckled in realization.

"So that's how you knew I was a wielder," he said. "I had no clue there were more wielders that we didn't know about out in the worlds."

"You mean the King didn't tell you." Asterix said.

"No," Yuffie answered. "The only wielders we know about are King Mickey, Riku, Roxas, Naminé, Kairi, and Sora."

"And Sora, Roxas, and Riku are masters," Max added. Asterix looked down glumly.

"What happened to everybody?" he asked. "There used to be so many more. Now we're down to only seven?"

"There's a problem too," Riku said. "Even with another wielder on the job. We all have an enemy of the worlds out there, and her name is Maleficent." Before he could elaborate Asterix raised a hand to stop him.

"Sorry, nothing doing," he said. "I vowed I wouldn't leave our world again after I came home from the war." On that note, he left the hut of Vitalstatistix, Obelix following him with Dogmatix.

"War?" Riku asked, looking out the doorway at Asterix's retreating figure. "What war?"

"Eighteen years ago a two year long war across the galaxy ended," Getafix said. "Asterix was found to wield the keyblade by another wielder by the name of Caleb when they were scouting our world for any signs of keyblade wielders of the dark realm, whom the war was against. Apparently they had managed to find a way to cross over into the Realm of Light, and were invading our worlds to make all of us slaves and servants to their will. The fighting never reached Gaul, but Asterix was forced to leave and Obelix went with him, along with a full barrel of magic potion that I made for him. After they returned, Asterix vowed he would never leave our world again."

"Why did Obelix go with him?" Max asked. "As far as we know, he doesn't wield a keyblade." Getafix shook his head but smiled pointedly at the doorway.

"No, Obelix is not a wielder," he said. "But he is eternally bound to Asterix through friendship and wouldn't let Asterix leave without him. Plus, Obelix doesn't need any magic potion. He fell into a cauldron full of it when he was a baby, but if he were to have any more the effects could be disastrous." (A/N 2)

Yuffie folded her arms and sighed. "So that's it. Because he wields the keyblade, Gaul will be fine. But apart from that, Asterix won't help."

"Don't be so certain Yuffie," Vitalstatistix said, waving a finger at her. "I'm sure that something will happen soon that will change his mind. But in the meantime, why don't you stay in the village for a while? We'll give you a proper Gaulish welcome."

"That seems alright," Riku said. "But where will we stay?"

"You came on a Gummi ship didn't you?" Getafix asked. "It has a special transformation ability that will allow it to 'fit in' with other buildings in an area. You can fly it down outside the village and have it turn into a look alike of one of our huts. None will be the wiser." Max smiled.

"Thanks for the tip Getafix," he said before vanishing up to the ship in a flash of light. Vitalstatistix almost hit the ceiling with the height that he jumped, added to the fact that he was already close from the height of his chair.

"Where did he go by Belenos?" he asked. Riku and Yuffie simply laughed and they turned to look at each other.

"You know," Riku said with a gleam in his eye. "If we're going to fit in here for a while, you'll have to wear a dress."

Yuffie looked absolutely livid at the idea.

* * *

"Scaredsillius! What happened to you and your men?"

"Well Centurion Newyearus," Scaredsillius, the leader of the patrol, began. "We were on patrol, as ordered sir, and the Gauls came out of the woods and caught us by surprise."

"How many were there?" Newyearus asked.

"Well… two," Scaredsillius said unsteadily. "But it was the big fat one and the little menace."

"By Jupiter," Newyearus said in exasperation as he plopped down onto his bed within his pavilion. "Those Gauls make us the laughing stock of the entire Roman Army, and those two especially." He looked up and saw that Scaredsillius was still there. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes sir," the legionary replied. "After the fat one maimed us, there were these strange black creatures that appeared." Newyearus sighed. This was the sign, his men had finally snapped.

"Strange black creatures eh?" he asked kindly. The entire patrol nodded their heads.

"Yes Centurion," Scaredsillius continued. "There were about six of them, and they made us shiver with eerie yellow eyes and sharp claws. They looked more like physical shadows if you take my meaning sir. And there were three other people who arrived. They weren't Gauls by any rights, but one of them was a woman, and another looked to be part dog if you take my meaning." Newyearus shook his head.

"No I don't take your meaning Scaredsillius," he replied in a sigh. "You're all dismissed, and I'm recommending you all take a few weeks off on leave." The joyous faces of the apparently addled legionaries gave birth to a wry smile on the Centurion's lips, but as the worn out patrol was leaving one of them turned and looked at the Centurion.

"I heard the tiny menace say that the shadows scared him Centurion," he said. Newyearus' eyes brightened at the legionary's statement and he abruptly stood upright, becoming tall and erect in his pavilion.

"What did you say Cowardus?" he asked in genuine curiosity. The legionary started at his leader's sudden movement and a hand flew into his mouth, already chewing on his nails.

"I said that Asterix, the little one, said that the, I think those other three called them heartless, scared him." Centurion Newyearus was happier than he would be if he could've proudly presented Ceaser a laurel from winning the Olympics. (A/N 3) He thumped the legionary on the back.

"Cowardus my lad," he whispered manically as a plan came into his mind. "I have a special mission for you." Cowardus gulped.

"Me Centurion Newyearus? _Me_?" Newyearus grinned.

"Yes," he whispered. "_You_."

* * *

_(A/N 1) See Asterix and the Secret Weapon_

_(A/N 2) See Asterix and Obelix All At Sea_

_(A/N 3) See Asterix and the Olympics_

_As I said above, I am sorry for not updating. And bear with me for the chapter lengths, they all will be long. I have a lot to go through and only four more chapters to do it in!_

_Also, none of you actually guessed who the summon character was. So here's the clue again, with a little added help._

_Summon Charm Description: A white creature that seemed to be made entirely of white light._

_Summon Charm Clue: __He is one of four Light Spirits that help the sacred beast in one of the latest installments of a highly popular video game series._

_Added Clue: He is the first Light Spirit Link encounters in Twilight Princess._

_Plus, another reason for why I have not been updating is that I started watching Stargate SG-1. Awesome series._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	37. Deciding His Fate

_(Kairi is sobbing at a table, her head down and her auburn hair covering her face. A white teenage boy with short brown hair and blue eyes walks in. There is the slightest hint of stubble on his face and a pair of black rectangular glasses on his nose as he wears a pair of blue jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. A concerned look suddenly takes hold on his face as he sees her alone.)_

_Shire: Kairi? (She doesn't show any signs of noticing. Shire moves silently next to her and pulls up a chair. Kairi suddenly looks up in fright, but calms when she sees him.)_

_Kairi: Oh, it's only you Shire. (She sighs and looks down again, puffy-eyed. Shire places a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.)_

_Shire: Hey, what's wrong?_

_Kairi: Oh, it's just this; just the dream that's all. (She sighs again and Shire starts rubbing her back. An apologetic look comes onto Shire's face.)_

_Shire: I'm sorry I have to do this to you. (Kairi looks up at him, both intrigued and incredulous.)_

_Kairi: You're sorry that you're putting me through this? (Shire nods.) Don't you know how much pain it's causing me? Wait, stupid question. You're the author of this thing, of course you know how much._

_Shire: I'm sorry Kairi, but it's necessary for your ascension. (Kairi furrows her eyebrows)_

_Kairi: Ascension? (Shire nods apologetically.)_

_Shire: Yes, ascension. I can't tell you what it is though, you'll find out soon enough. (Kairi sighs.) _

_Kairi: Another one of those state secret things that you won't let out. Don't you think we deserve to know what you're planning? (Shire sighs.)_

_Shire: I more than believe that the lot of you deserve to know what's going to happen, you especially, but I have no idea how you'll react if you know of the future. It's best for all of us that you're left in the dark to do what comes to you when the moment arrives. (He gets up and slowly leaves Kairi in the room as he walks out the door. He stops and turns to look at Kairi before leaving.)_

_Shire: You do know it isn't really me doing this right? I'm just telling the story as I've been told. (Kairi looks at him inquisitively as he walks out. Shire passes Naminé in the hall just outside of the doorway, and knows that she heard every word.)_

_Naminé: You're lucky you don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, songs, or anything except the characters you created. (Shire turns towards her and opens his arms widely.)

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXVII: Deciding His Fate

Roxas moaned as his eyelids slowly fluttered open in the fluorescent light. He could hear the mechanical whirring of nearby machines and a steady beeping sound that matched his heart's beating. He felt a prick in the side of his arm and shifted his head slightly, trying to get a look at it. He noticed something else though before he ever saw the IV tube, his Organization XIII cloak and robes, as well as the clothes he had been wearing before, were no longer on him. Instead he was in the simple green paper dress of a hospital gown from underneath two thick white blankets. Roxas sighed as he quickly took this in and saw the IV tube inserted into his left arm. He slowly moved his head over to his other side, where his broken right arm was only slightly tingling in almost ticklish pain. There turned out to be only the one machine that was monitoring his heartbeat and vitals in the room with him, but there were no other machines or patients. However, there was a small clock radio on a bedside table to his right, and a ceiling mounted TV across the room from him.

Roxas sighed louder this time and thudded his head down on his uncomfortable pillow and his thoughts started gearing back to his last memory before waking up. He was interrupted though by the sounds of footsteps in the corridor outside as a voice on the intercom drifted through the open door. He paid little attention to the message, but a woman walked into the room wearing a white lab coat. Her hair was short and brown, and brown eyes warmly scanned him as she saw his eyes looking at her.

"Ah you're awake," she said, moving up to him and pulling out a small flashlight. She shined the light into his eyes and Roxas almost jerked away from the sudden intensity. "Pupils are responsive," she muttered to herself before checking the machine he was hooked up to. Seeing everything satisfactory she looked back at him and smiled. "I'm Doctor Fraiser," she said. "Welcome back Sir Roxas." Roxas turned his head and looked inquiringly at her.

"Back?" he asked. Her smile vanished slightly.

"Yes," she explained. "You've been unconscious for twenty-two hours. You were very close to death when you were brought in." Roxas sighed before his eyes froze in fear.

"Naminé!" he said suddenly, snapping into a sitting position. Pain assailed his head though and he abruptly plopped back down. Dr. Fraiser giggled very slightly before her face became passive once again.

"There's no need to panic Roxas," she said. "Naminé is being tended to by Dr. Gainsborough right now. She's still unconscious, but she'll make a full recovery, as will you." She looked at him with some concern in her eyes. "You had both had extensive electrical shocks, but hers were far worse. She had first degree burns covering a good portion of her body. You however, suffered extensive lacerations on your chest and arms, and one of them was broken. Thanks to healing magic it will be mended by tomorrow, but you'll still need to be in hospital for a few days for observation. We've put you on a light sedative to ease the pain." Roxas nodded to himself and looked up at her.

"What happened?" he asked. "Before I blacked out, I thought Nixion was going to kill me." Dr. Fraiser smiled.

"I think I have someone here who can explain that," she said, turning around, "even though he's _supposed_ to be confined to bed rest." Roxas followed her gaze and his heart filled with joy at the person he saw, even if seeing him made him want to laugh hysterically.

"He won't kill us Roxas," Axel said with a gleam in his teal eyes, matching the colour of the paper dress he too was in. "Got it memorized?" He strode into the room and passed Dr. Fraiser, winking at her. The good doctor simply sighed and rolled her eyes. Axel sat down on the end of Roxas' bed and Roxas could no longer contain his laugher.

The older former nobody scowled at him. "What's so funny?"

"You in the paper dress," Roxas struggled to reply, a chortle working its way into his sentence. Axel's scowl increased until a sudden sparkle flared in his eyes.

"We could wake up Naminé," he teased, "then see what she thinks of you in that." Roxas' laughter stopped and his face reddened.

"Okay fine," he replied agitatedly, "you win. So what happened back there?" Axel didn't answer right away, preferring to bask in the glory of his victory for a few seconds.

"Master Yen Sid," he answered. "That's what happened. He showed up before Nixion could kill you and blasted him away. Then the coward ran." He scowled again and looked away. "We're never going to beat him if he keeps running away before we can actually do him in."

"I really don't think it will be that easy Axel," Roxas said. "We fought our hardest, and still Nixion came out the winner."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you Roxas," Dr. Fraiser interrupted. "From what Axel and Master Yen Sid have told me, you both gave him several wounds and first or possibly second degree burns to his whole chest. I believe you came out of there evenly matched, Nixion just has more stamina than you both." She checked her watch for a second before looking back at them.

"I have to make my rounds," she said. "I'm sorry Sir Roxas, but I've placed you under confined to bed until we can be sure you're fully healed." She then looked sympathetically at him and answered the question he was about to pose before her. "I'll inform you first when Princess Naminé wakes up." Roxas sighed in comfort as Fraiser walked out of the room and he looked at Axel.

"Anything new happen when I was out?" he asked.

"King Mickey left about an hour ago," Axel replied. "We got word from Disney Castle that Donald, Goofy, and the other knights returned aboard the _Avenger_. Master Yen Sid left with him."

"Where's my ship?" Roxas asked. "If Naminé and I were brought here by the others, then the _Hunter_ is still at Twilight Town." Axel shook his head with a smile.

"Nope. King Mickey had one of Urophi's men fly it over here." Roxas raised his eyebrow inquiringly at his best friend.

"Urophi?" he questioned.

"The mayor of Twilight Town," Axel answered. The spiky red head started stroking his chin approvingly. "He's a nice guy, helped fight against Nixion's nobodies on the front lines along with our group."

"How are Tidus and the others?" Roxas asked quickly, it had been for them that he and Naminé had left so quickly to join in the battle. Axel chuckled and gave Roxas a wry smile.

"If you had woken up before ten thirty last night you could have asked them yourself," he said. "They're all fine, and came aboard the _Roadster _with the King. The doctors here checked them out and gave them all a clean bill of health after about ten minutes of seeing them, and then they waited outside your rooms until they were forcibly sent back home." Axel grinned as if reliving a pleasant memory within his mind and Roxas sighed in relief.

"Well that's good," he reasoned. "What about everyone else?"

"You talking about us spiky?" Roxas smiled at the voice and turned his head towards the door to see Mulan with Mushu on her shoulder. Mulan smiled upon seeing his smile and moved into the room slowly.

"It's good to see you're well Roxas," she said pleasantly, bending down and giving him a friendly hug. Roxas blushed slightly as Axel sighed loudly while the blonde returned the hug with his left arm.

"Why do _I_ never hit it off with the ladies?" Axel muttered under his breath.

Roxas looked up at him as he and Mulan relinquished the hug. "You're too forward Axel," he chortled. "Maybe if you stopped spelling your name out for every pretty girl you meet you'd get lucky. Got it memorized?" Axel's head snapped towards Roxas while the three others laughed.

"I'm going to watch the tube," Axel snarled agitatedly, grabbing the remote from Roxas' bedside table and flicking on the TV. "Dang," he said, preparing to flip channels, "the news."

"Wait Axel," Roxas said quickly, grabbing the remote from the older nobody and turning up the volume.

"-in Twilight Town," the newscaster, a dark skinned woman wearing a red jacket with sleek black hair drawing behind her head, finished her sentence. "The battle lasted throughout the late morning and into the middle afternoon. The defending forces were victorious, even through an enemy champion took part in the battle."

"Nixion," the four growled.

"There were no fatalities on the Allied side," she continued. "But among the casualties were Sir Roxas Dual Blade, knight of Disney Castle and twin brother of the hero Sora of Destiny Islands, and our very own Princess Naminé, twin sister of Princess Kairi. Both left the Radiant Garden yesterday aboard Sir Roxas' personal vessel the _Hunter_, but few details of their part in the battle have been released. Both are currently in stable condition in Shinra hospital here in Radiant Garden, but were not available for an interview earlier today."

"What am I?" Axel asked in incredulity. "Am I not worth mentioning? They couldn't have talked to me?"

"Both Sora and Kairi's whereabouts are currently unknown," the newscaster continued. "For more on the battle and other events taking place during the war, see the premier of Wartime Battlewatch this Thursday at seven pm on Duck." She then shifted around to another position, indicating a new story was about to start.

"Time to switch," Axel said, making a grab for the remote, but Roxas silenced him by flipping it over to Mulan, who held it behind her back with a giggle.

"In other news, Ralph Manish, head of the Conservative Party and leader of the opposition, caused pandemonium earlier today in Parliament."

"Wait guys," Roxas hushed, looking up at the TV spherecast. He held great respect for Manish. It was through his efforts that they had managed to get Radiant Garden to fight against Maleficent, and he had personally overseen a measure to try and make Wardog Naminé's personal squadron. It had failed, but the effort did not go unnoticed.

"At two twenty-five pm, upon voting for a bill presented by Carl Fantast of the in-power Liberals led by the honorable Prime Minister Squall Leonhart, Mr. Manish called for a free vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Leonhart's leadership. The vote passed forty-six to thirty-two, with five members abstaining. Parliament will be dissolved in one week and we can now expect a fall election. This has been the four o'clock news." Mulan turned off the TV and they all looked at each other, each facial expression one of mixed shock and hope.

"If the Conservatives win," Roxas began after many minutes of silence, "and win with a majority, then we'll receive all the support we need from the Radiant Garden."

"But at what cost Roxas?" Mulan asked. "Conscription?" Dr. Fraiser took that moment to walk back in with a smile on her face.

"Sir Roxas," she announced, "Princess Naminé has woken up." Roxas immediately gave his three companions a look and they got off the bed. He threw the sheets off and turned his body round to hang his legs off the edge. Dr. Fraiser held up her hands as Roxas made an attempt to stand.

"I can't let you do that Roxas," she said. "You're still injured. If you stand and try to walk, the wounds may open themselves up again." Roxas simply looked at her, determination filling his eyes in a look that defied her. Dr. Fraiser sighed and placed a hand to her head, she knew she couldn't win against this one.

"If you insist," she relented, "I can let you visit her in a wheelchair. That way we can be sure your wounds won't reopen." Roxas nodded and Dr. Fraiser looked at Axel. "And you should really be travelling around in a wheelchair as well." Axel gave her a look of indignation.

"And show the world that I'm weak?" he scoffed, looking away. "No thanks."

Roxas looked slyly at his best friend. "Axel," he began slowly, waiting until Axel looked at him. "If you were in a wheelchair, you could get the sympathy vote from any cute girls you see in the hos-"

"Oh my aching back!" Axel suddenly roared, placing a hand to his back and bending over in pain. "Hey doc! You think you could get me a chair too?" Axel gave Roxas a sly wink as he looked at him.

"Axel your chest suffered wounds, not your back," Dr. Fraiser replied coolly.

"So?" Axel asked, not fazed at all by this sudden flaw. "It's my back that hurts. I don't think I'll be able to walk with it. Can I please get a wheelchair too?" Mulan and Roxas both laughed quietly at the sudden meekness that had crept into his voice.

A few minutes later the two of them were wheeled into Naminé's hospital room, Mulan walking behind them with Mushu on her shoulder. Dr. Fraiser was already in the room, talking with Aerith quietly in a corner. Roxas noticed that the room looked exactly like his and that Naminé was sitting up in her bed, wearing the same paper dress that he was. Tom, for some reason unknown to him, was sitting on Naminé's opposite side and engaging her in a conversation that he couldn't quite catch.

She looked up from Tom as they approached and as soon as her eyes met his, they both smiled. "So you're in this mess too?" Naminé asked as he and Axel were wheeled up next to the bed. Roxas unbuckled himself from the wheelchair and quickly sat himself down on her bed next to her. He leaned in quickly and gave Naminé a fleeting kiss, conscious of the many eyes in the room.

"Yep," he said as he leaned back and looked at Tom, nodding his head at the teenager. "Hey Tom," he said casually. "What'cha doing here?" Tom looked directly at Roxas as Axel and Mulan sat down next to the spiky haired blonde.

"Just telling Princess Naminé about me family 'istory," he replied. Naminé nodded, affirming his story.

"Really?" Axel asked slowly, an unconcerned look on his face as he left his mouth hanging open at the end of his question. "What about it?"

"Well," the Brit answered, "me dad was captain of the royal bodyguard of Radiant Garden."

"So your family guarded the royalty of this world?" Mulan asked. Tom nodded and looked at Naminé again.

"Yep," he said. "And because of me powers, I thought I'd be of some use as a bodyguard."

"Bodyguard for whom?" Mushu asked, not getting it.

"Naminé," Roxas explained before Tom could tell the small dragon. Tom looked at Roxas quickly in anticipation of if he would approve or not. Roxas glanced at Naminé and saw her nod ever so slightly before his eyes darted back to Tom, a smile in both of them. Tom smiled and laughed slightly.

"Thanks for givin' me the chance mate," he said, slapping Roxas' back. Roxas winced at the slap and Tom's eyebrows rose. "Not that you'd 'ave much choice in the matter," he surmised grimly.

Roxas' right arm went softly to his chest and his eyes were drawn to it. "Damn," he breathed. "I guess Nixion got me worse than I thought." Axel's face became downcast and he looked away.

"You almost died Roxas," he said quietly. "Both of you almost died. They had to work all night to save you." He looked back up at Roxas. "You don't know how lucky you both are."

"It was quite a spectacle," Aerith said tiredly as she came up to them, wearing a white lab coat. There were heavy bags under her eyes and creases in her forehead, she obviously hadn't slept a wink the whole night, but she was still smiling.

"It was really strange," Fraiser agreed. "Whenever one of you went into cardiac arrest, the other did so at the same time. And then before we were able to administer any method to revive your hearts, they came back up, like nothing had ever happened." The eyebrows of both the young teens flew upwards.

"That's unusual," Roxas began, shaken slightly by the fact that his heart had stopped.

"But it doesn't seem surprising," Naminé finished, glancing at Roxas.

"Can you explain that?" Dr. Fraiser asked curiously.

Naminé took a breath and looked at Roxas once more. He glanced at her and nodded. "I'm guessing that like Sora and Kairi, our hearts are connected," Naminé said steadily. "When one of our hearts failed, the other must have sensed this and failed as well, seeing no purpose to go on if its mate was dead. But why they would both come back to life at the same time is beyond me."

"Did you say 'mate'?" Mushu asked her. Naminé suddenly blushed and looked at Roxas, the eyes of the others looking between each other.

"Did I really say that?" she asked timidly. Roxas nodded his head and smiled, taking her left hand with his right.

"Yeah," he confirmed quietly. "But I would have said it too." A question then came to him.

"Dr. Fraiser," he asked, looking directly at her in concern; "which one of us went into cardiac arrest first?" Dr. Fraiser frowned as she looked at him.

"You were always the one sir," she replied. Roxas frowned and glanced at Naminé. "I don't understand it either," continued Fraiser. "Naminé should have been the one who had suffered more damage to her nervous system because of the constant torment of Nixion's electrical attack, yet nothing in her vital systems failed due to sensory interference."

"It must be my light," interjected Naminé.

"Your light?" Tom asked. Naminé nodded her head slowly and the three around her caught on quickly.

"Of course," Roxas and Mulan simultaneously spoke. Dr. Fraiser looked inquiringly at them.

"Excuse me?" she asked politely.

"It all makes sense doctor," said Axel. "The light Naminé possesses in her heart keeps her safe from… from things." Axel finished lamely with a smile, unsure of how he was supposed to articulate his thoughts scientifically.

"He means from external threats that would affect the workings of the nervous system," Aerith added with a smile. Dr. Fraiser nodded in understanding, a light coming into her brown eyes as she glanced at Naminé in wonder.

"And that would also explain how Kairi and Naminé were immune to the effects of Cossex's powers," she reasoned. She then turned back to Aerith, an idea already coming to her. "If we were able to transfer some of their light-"

"No," Naminé quickly said, breaking up Fraiser's idea. Aerith nodded in agreement.

"Janet," the young woman explained; "everyone has light and darkness within their hearts. It is that Kairi, Naminé and the six other princesses have no darkness within them that makes them immune." Dr. Fraiser sighed and looked down, her sentiments masked.

Naminé sighed before looking up at Roxas, who had watched the whole exchange quietly. Roxas looked over at her as well. They didn't need to exchange words to show that they were both glad that the other was alive, despite whatever had befallen either of them. Naminé smiled and looked down at their intertwined palms, and Roxas looked down as well, suddenly noticing something sticky on his hand. There was an orange paste on Naminé's hand, and as far as he could see up her arm.

"That's treatment for her burns Sir Roxas," Fraiser explained. "Nixion's electrical attack severely burned much of her torso and back. Apparently her light can't protect against physical attacks against the body. They'll be healed in a few days thanks to magic and the paste. Coincidently, your broken arm will also finish healing around the same time." They both smiled at the doctor, and then Roxas felt a dull pain on the back of his head as Naminé smacked him.

"What was _that_ for?" he asked incredulously. Naminé pursed her lips and looked pointedly at his left arm.

"You fought with your broken arm," she tisked.

"And it kept me alive," Roxas argued before shifting uncomfortably, "for a while."

"You broke it further," Naminé stated. Roxas knew he couldn't win. It was a losing battle.

He found it cruelly funny that he could go toe-to-toe with Nixion and come back alive, defeat hundreds of heartless, and even equal Sora in prowess, but the one thing he and his brother could not do was win arguments against their princesses.

* * *

Riku smiled as he saw Yuffie exit Geriatrix's hut. Mrs. Geriatrix had been tasked with making her 'fit in' to Gaulish dress, and being the prettiest woman in the village; not to mention the best seamstress, had done the job wonderfully. Yuffie exited beside the ginger-haired woman in her light green blouse and flowing evergreen dress, sweeping down to her feet in such a manner that she'd never trip on the hem. Yuffie, however grand the outfit she now wore was, appeared to be restraining herself from snarling at Mrs. Geriatrix. The only positive thing she could say about the dress she now wore was that she was glad it did not clash with her raven hair. A short navy blue blouse covered her chest but was open much like a vest. Periwinkle blue material elegantly flowed down from the straps to her shoulders and clung to her natural curves before widening past her waist. A thin golden sash ran down from her right shoulder to her waist. The dress ended with a white hem about an inch above Yuffie's ankles, enough to reveal the heeled sandals with golden coloured straps.

Max came up behind Riku and placed a hand critically to his chin before smiling. He had done this once before, and he still enjoyed it. "You look wonderful Yuffie," he praised. "Defiantly you." Yuffie scowled at him. He then nudged Riku with his elbow and smirked at him. "Wouldn't you say so Riku?" Riku quickly jolted out of whatever trance he might have been in and nodded.

"I like it," he announced with a red face. Yuffie's scowl at Max lessened and she turned to look at Riku.

"I'd rather be in the kimono that I rarely wear," she said, her voice softening slowly as she decided to look herself over as she began walking down the path, the others following.

"Oh would you like a mirror dear?" Mrs. Geriatrix asked sweetly. "I thought you had already looked in one."

"I think Yuffie was more determined to hate whatever you put her in and claim she looked ugly," Max said slyly. "Which is not true. Just take a look at Riku here."

"Max!" Riku barked, taking his crimson face away from Yuffie in her splendor. The boy chuckled and both girls, for Mrs. Geriatrix was only in her twenties, giggled at his reaction.

Yuffie smiled as she held the supple fabric in one of her now manicured hands. "I actually think I like it," she let out before looking up at Mrs. Geriatrix. "Would you mind if I kept it?" The woman laughed.

"Consider it a gift," she said before leaning in to whisper into Yuffie's ear. "And don't mind a word of what my husband said; he doesn't really like outsiders, you look beautiful." Yuffie blushed slightly before looking at Riku and Max again, having a quiet argument.

"Hey you two," she said, suddenly curious, "why haven't you both changed?"

"It's because we're guys," Riku answered. "They don't care." Yuffie blinked in shock.

"Not fair!" she bawled. Max and Riku chuckled.

"What are you complaining about?" Max asked. "You got a beautiful dress out of this. Maybe you'll be able to work something on Asterix to convince him not to remain neutral."

"What are you talking about?" Yuffie asked, confused. Max barked a laugh.

"You mean you didn't notice?" he asked, incredulous. Riku's lip started to curl as they continued to move through the village, getting close to a cue in front of Unhygenix's hut.

"Tread carefully Max," he warned in a slight growl. Max looked slyly at him.

"Ooh," he teased. "Somebody's jealous." Riku snarled and made to punch him but thought better of it. Instead he grabbed a fish from one of the baskets and slapped Max across the face with it. Max immediately growled and grabbed a fish as well and struck a blow across Riku's ribs.

"Bacteria!" Unhygenix yelled in shock. "Save the sales!" But it was too late; the other Gauls in the cue had already rushed forward and were swiping fish out of the baskets, a few of them dropping some sestarii to the fishmonger. In the span of four seconds from when Riku had first hit Max about seven Gauls had joined in the fight. Fish flew from one hand to another, slapping anyone unfortunate enough to be caught within range. Riku and Max had dispensed with the pleasantries and were now dueling with their herrings as if they were their swords, completely ignoring the smell that rose from their weapons.

Yuffie looked at them in shock for a moment before sighing and moving out of the way of the smell. "I would never have guessed it," she said as she stood with her hands on her hips. Mrs. Geriatrix looked at her, curious to see what the girl would say. "They started a fight with _fish_. I thought Riku had some honor." Mrs. Geriatrix opened her mouth to say something but her husband beat her to the mark as he rushed past.

"It looks like they've been well inundated to our culture!" he roared joyfully, swinging his cane in front of him as he approached Fulliautomatix. The blacksmith held up his hands in front of Geriatrix as a sign of peace.

"I won't attack you old man," he said calmly. "It wouldn't be sporting." Geriatrix growled and leapt high enough into the air to continually strike the blacksmith with his cane.

"Fight me!" the old man cried. "Show me your mettle! I promise to you I won't hold back against a youngster like you!" Fulliautomatix fell to the ground, clutching his head and Geriatrix opened his arms wide.

"Somebody please attack me!" he cried in desperation, his arms invitingly wide. Max obliged by tossing his fish at the old coot before punching Obelix in the gut. The well-covered Gaul responded by grabbing Max about the ankle and swinging him around like a club, laughing all the while.

Yuffie giggled as she watched the fight, it was quite entertaining. Footfalls fell behind her and she looked around to see Asterix walking up calmly to her, his helmet off of his head and in front of his chest apologetically.

"Yuffie," he began, clearing his throat. She nodded at him.

"Yes Asterix?" she asked sweetly. The Gaul's resolve seemed to waver and Yuffie made a mental note of this. Asterix then cleared his throat one more time and looked up at her while Mrs. Geriatrix looked at him in intrigue.

"I would like to apologize to you for Obelix's behaviour to you earlier," Asterix stated. Yuffie smiled.

"There's no need to apologize Asterix," she said reasonably. "I offended him and he reacted. Trust me though, I've been through worse." Asterix blinked in surprise before looking over at Obelix, in the midst of the fight.

"What was that weapon you were fighting with earlier?" he asked, his warrior instincts and innate curiosity taking over at the sight of the brawl. "I've always thought that I've needed a new challenge sometimes." Yuffie smirked and pulled out her shuriken from a hidden sleeve. She pressed her thumb in the center of the small throwing star and its sides quickly lengthened, rapidly becoming her trademark weapon.

"It's called a shuriken," Yuffie explained, tossing her hair back in the Sun's glare with a deft, and cunning, flick of her left hand. Asterix's gaze was drawn away from the weapon for a moment as he saw the light shimmer through the strands of her raven hair. Yuffie smiled.

_Max was right, Asterix _is_ smitten with me. Maybe I can use this…_ Her smile dropped when she unconsciously looked towards Riku. That boy had saved her life more than once, and she knew that he did fancy her, at least a little. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked her to be his girlfriend before. And her heart had been tugging her towards him.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She wouldn't do anything to hinder her budding relationship with Riku, she would just do what she could to ensure Asterix went on the proper course.

_So I'm going to be using him,_ she suddenly thought as a blank look claimed her face, _or am I the one being used?

* * *

_

Cowardus looked around uneasily as he slowly made his way back to the point where he had been ambushed by the Gauls earlier, dragging a cage behind him. Night was slowly falling, and the forest was looking even more unfriendly to the roman. Shadows leapt out from behind every tree in the Sun's dying light, setting off the already frayed nerves of the legionary. He remembered every detail of the strange shadows that had fought, however briefly, against the two Gauls and strange others, and just remembering sent shivers down his spine.

And now he was supposed the _capture_ one of them!? The very idea made him faint. A sudden noise from behind a tree on the side of the path made Cowardus jump. He pointed his pilum at the tree as he shook in fright, biting the nails of his other hand in an audible chatter while his shield dropped to the ground. The creature that caused the noise suddenly scampered out of the brush, chattering at him and shaking its tiny fist for entering its domain.

A red squirrel.

"The Centurion's sending the wrong guy," Cowardus mumbled as he sighed in relief and turned away from the squirrel. He moved further down the path into the coming twilight, his pilum held readily in his right hand and his recovered shield in his left, the cage being dragged by a cord around his waist. Now that he had known that the adversary was only a squirrel, his spirits rose, somewhat.

There were no more noises as he moved further in for the next ten minutes. Not even the crickets were chirping. The only sound came from the squeak of the wheels on the cage he dragged. Cowardus thought he might have heard the grunt of a boar briefly following his run-in with the squirrel, but the lack of noise had miraculously raised his spirits instead of dampening them.

Cowardus had no idea what he was walking into. He ignored even his good senses that told him he was going into a place of evil.

An abrupt rustle through the leaves suddenly startled him, but he laughed at himself after a moment and thought it to be another squirrel. He turned around, and that's when his eyes were suddenly filled with the yellow eyes of one of the shadows he had seen. He found his throat clogged and found himself unable to scream under the piercing gaze of the neoshadow. A sound came from it in a low hiss. That hiss gave the appearance that the creature was extremely pleased for him to enter its domain, almost as if it would _love_ for him to stay for dinner. Cowardus could do little more than watch in horror as it moved even closer, a black and clawed hand reaching for his chest…

An owl hooted and the creature turned its head in the direction of the sound. That distraction was all Cowardus needed to quickly slam the creature into the cage, and run all the way back to Totorum, screaming all the way in his fear, unaware that a dozen pairs of yellow eyes, exactly like those of the creature in his cage, were watching his every step, and silently following.

"Ave Cowar-" Scaredsillius, on sentry duty, began as Cowardus made his run into the camp, still screaming out his lungs. Cowardus ran past him so fast that the unfortunate legionary was spun into a tangled heap on the ground. Cowardus dropped his pilum as soon as he reached the Centurion's tent, unsheathed his gladius, and cut the rope that bound him to the cage, and the creature. He shuddered violently as he took one last look at the creature before entering his CO's pavilion.

"Ave Centurion Newyearus!" Cowardus saluted, entering the pavilion. Newyearus' eyes brightened as soon as the legionary entered.

"Cowardus!" he exclaimed like an eager schoolboy as he sat on his cot. "Did you get one?" Cowardus gulped and nodded. Before he was halfway finished with his nod, the Centurion rose to his feet and clapped him on the shoulder, laughing gaily.

"You've done well this day," he said. "You have delivered the Gauls' demise to our door. If we can defeat the Gauls, I'll promote you to Optio." Cowardus beamed at the proposal of becoming Optio, but his smile dropped suddenly as screams of panic started to come from the camp. He quickly left the tent with Newyearus, the Centurion's brow furrowed as he angrily wondered who would dare attack him.

They stared in horror as neoshadows quickly moved throughout the camp, tearing through the broken ranks of the legionaries, and small pink hearts rising into the sky only to become consumed by swirls of darkness as the legionaries the hearts came from vanished. Cowardus gulped in fear as he glanced at the captured neoshadow. These creatures were far worse than the Gauls, he finally realized. His heart froze when he saw the creature sink down into a blotch of darkness at the bottom of the cage, darker than the dark of the night. The blotch then slid out of the cage, moving straight towards him. In desperation, Cowardus picked up his fallen pilum and flung it at the darkness, only for the spear to be completely consumed as it struck into the dark earth. He couldn't even tremble in terror as the darkness rose from the ground, taking the exact shape of that which he had captured. Before the petrified legionary could do anything else, the neoshadow's clawed hand struck him in the heart, and pulled that which it had clawed, out. The legionary couldn't even give a last moan as he vanished and his heart drifted slowly upwards to be lost into a swirl of darkness.

Centurion Newyearus abruptly laughed in a maniacal way as a dark aura began to emanate from him. The hearts of those legionaries who had lost their hearts (which was all of them) then became encased in the darkness to which they had been enslaved. The new heartless dropped down from the swirls, looking as almost exact replicates of the legionaries from which they had been, except their shields now bore the heartless insignia.

"We're going to capture that obstinate little Gaul who has always defied me," Newyearus hissed to his troops. He found he liked them better now. He knew that their discipline and training was now gone, but they would take orders like they never would before.

* * *

Asterix had taken Yuffie aside during the banquet, somewhere between Obelix devouring his third boar and Fulliautomatix gagging and tying up Cacofonix under a nearby tree. A bouquet of flowers was in her hands. He led her a little ways away from the banquet, far enough away so that they could barely be seen in the shadows but close enough so they could still verily see the roaring bonfire. Yuffie clung tightly to her vest-like blouse; she was missing the warmth from the fire.

"What is this about Asterix?" she asked, shivering slightly. Asterix shuffled his feet awkwardly and Yuffie raised an eyebrow, glad that she couldn't see if he was blushing or not. Asterix removed his helmet and looked up at Yuffie, the slim and silvery crescent moon shimmering through her raven hair and dancing on the gown Mrs. Geriatrix had designed for her.

"Yuffie," he began clumsily. "I know this is quite sudden, we only met today. But I've become quite fond of you." Yuffie blushed crimson, glad now that he couldn't see her blush.

"I have too Asterix," she said slowly. "And I know we're going to be great friends." At her words, Asterix's face almost seemed to droop and Yuffie looked sadly at him in concern.

"Is," she stuttered, "is something wrong?" The small warrior's head came up and looked at her.

"Oh," he replied in a crestfallen tone. "Oh, no. Nothing's wrong Yuffie. Don't even mention it." He scratched his head and turned around, not looking at her. It pained Yuffie to do this to him; she knew how much Max was betting she could get Asterix to join their side. But she wasn't going to manipulate him, she'd be no better than Xehanort or Maleficent if she did. Yuffie knelt down and placed a tender hand on his shoulder, and she took a small measure of comfort when he did not flinch away.

"I'm sorry Asterix," she said quietly, glancing back at the banquet, where Riku was still talking with Getafix.

"But, I think my heart belongs with another." Asterix's shoulders sagged slightly and he nodded and muttered something that Yuffie didn't quite catch, watching Riku.

"Good night Yuffie," Asterix said quietly, walking off into the night. The girl noticed her hand slipping off of his shoulder and looked concernedly at his retreating figure, slowly being enveloped by the shadows of the night and illuminated by the crescent moon's faint glow.

"Good night Asterix," she said to the night, "and I am sorry."

Asterix walked into his hut and threw his helmet down to the floor in disgust. His attempts at wooing Yuffie, while successful, had proved just as fruitless. He sighed in agony and placed his hands to his eyes. No woman had attracted him the way Yuffie did. Not the pretty ones his mother had selected when she had come visiting from Lutetia, not even Bravura (A/N 1) when she had come to the village. Although he had warmed up to Bravura immensely by the time she left.

"Why is this one different?" Asterix asked in vain. "She's years younger than me! I don't want to be another Geriatrix. And she's not from this world." He sighed again and splashed some water on his face from the basin he had in his kitchen.

"Was this the challenge I was looking for?" he mused to himself with a dry laugh. "Finding a woman to marry? I don't think so. It didn't really feel like I was fulfilling anything apart from an empty place in my heart. But what I was trying to fill the pit with didn't feel quite right." He sighed again and wiped his face clean of the water.

"Maybe I should just tell them where the keyhole is so they can be off," he said grimly. "Then I won't ever have to lay eyes on that vexing woman again." Then a completely foreign sound assailed his ears. It was a weird popping sound, but it also sounded like the thrum of a cannon shot on a Gummi ship. Roman soldiers suddenly clattered out of the swirls of darkness and Asterix looked at them in surprise. Their skin was a sickening blue-grey, and on their shields was a strange symbol that he'd never seen before.

"How did you get here?" Asterix bellowed, reaching for his gourd. The pilum of one of the soldiers beat him to the gourd and its iron tip drove in moments before the Gaul's hand could grab it. The clear liquid of the magic potion spilled out of the gourd as the spear's tip was removed and Asterix snarled, drawing his sword instead. He twisted around as a spear made its way towards him and slapped out with his sword, striking away the shield of the nearest legionary. The shield clattered onto the ground and Asterix quickly followed up by plunging his sword into the legionary's chest. He growled in anger and twisted his sword before withdrawing it. To his immediate surprise, a dark mist flowed from the wound in the place of blood. Asterix was so shocked that he didn't notice the shield of another legionary strike him on his unprotected crown.

* * *

Keys and Kairi sat atop Whamon's brown head again that night, gazing up at the night sky. The white stars shone brightly, and the silver crescent moon gazed down upon them from its vantage point high in the digital sky, faintly bathing everything in a soft white light. All the digimon and digidestined were asleep except for these two, sitting quietly together as the events of that day's early morning were washed away in the subtle moonlight.

Kairi looked over at Keys with a smile on her face, before that smile drooped slightly as she inhaled a deep breath.

"You stink."

Keys turned to look at her, affronted.

"I do not stink," he retorted. "I don't smell anything."

"Well that's because you wouldn't be able to tell that you smell," Kairi answered back in a slight giggle. Keys sighed and a blue light started to surround him.

"Oh no you don't," Kairi said evilly, pushing Keys hard with her booted foot. His cleaning spell abruptly stopped as he lost his concentration and started tumbling over Whamon's side. A new green light surrounded him and he had transformed into his merman form a moment before his face struck the waves. Kairi laughed as he plunged below the waves and then his head reemerged. She stood up so she could get a better look at the scowl he was giving her.

"Not funny Kairi!" he yelled through his sopping wet bangs, falling over his face as the last of the gel ran out. Kairi giggled a little more as a blue glow surrounded him.

"Yes it is," she hollered back. "Now you won't smell as bad when you come back up." She smiled in her victory, but wondered at the look Keys was giving her.

"And what about how bad _you_ smell?" he asked. Kairi blinked and hesitated for a few seconds.

"I don't smell," she answered. She could see Keys' smirk.

"If I recall," he drawled. "I said almost the exact same thing." Kairi backed away a step playfully.

"Oh well," she said, opening her arms wide. "You can't really do anything to me from down there." Those were the wrong words to say. As soon as she had said that, Keys dropped below the waterline, and Kairi immediately recognized what he was trying to do. She fell back further, and almost tripped on Gabumon, but it was too late. She turned around when she heard the splash of Keys leaving the water, and saw him sailing towards her through the air, a grin on his face. She shrieked quietly as he grabbed her with his wet hands and arms and tackled her down to Whamon's other side, fortunately avoiding any collisions. Kairi stopped but Keys, with his sleek and wet body, continued to slide and Kairi, still in his arms, was brought along with him as he went over the edge. Keys splashed back into the water as a merman, having let go of Kairi as he fell over the side, certain that she would follow him into the drink.

But Kairi wasn't going to go down that easily. At the last moment she floated in the air on her back, a mere foot above the waves. She smiled as she flipped herself around in the air, and waited for Keys to resurface.

She couldn't see him below the waterline in the dark of night; otherwise she might have retreated to a point higher up.

Keys suddenly surfaced and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her down as he laughed and she shrieked. Kairi immediately grimaced as she felt her entire self plunge beneath the waves and she held her breath. She knew Keys wasn't turning her into a mermaid to punish her for pushing him into the water in the first place, but that didn't matter. They both knew that she could hold her breath for a _long_ time. It all came from when the boys insisted on playing Blitzball and forced Kairi and Selphie to play as keepers for them. Kairi had always held Keys and Riku's goal while Selphie was with Tidus and Wakka, and Kairi's scowl lessened when she remembered that she was a better keeper than Selphie was. Keys laughed as he looked at her underwater scowl while the same blue glow surrounded her.

"Now doesn't that feel better?" he mocked, waving his hair out of his eyes as it flowed in the current of the ocean. "No more smell." He laughed again and Kairi swam towards him, intending to give him a friendly punch. But for now, water was his element, and Keys swiftly swam around her and lightly slapped her back with his tail. Kairi tried to scowl, but she couldn't when she had twisted herself around and saw his face. Kicking her feet, she swam up to the surface and broke through the waves. Keys surfaced next to her and Kairi rose into the air.

"That wasn't very nice Sora," she said, feigning anger. Keys saw through her ruse and transformed back into a human before rising into the air next to her.

"An eye for an eye princess," he replied. Kairi smiled and shook the water out of her hair, showering her boyfriend in the little droplets.

"Well," she responded, trying to get her skirt to stop clinging to her in the cool night air. "Now that I am, in your opinion, clean…" she looked up from her skirt and smiled at him, "would you care to join me in a moondance?" Keys smiled and floated up next to her.

"I thought you'd never ask," he replied, taking one of her wet hands in his own. He stepped out over the air and she followed his lead, doing a slow circling dance around as they went to a tune they made up on the spot.

Keys and Kairi both hummed their tune and Kairi swung out, still holding onto one hand as they simply did what pleased them as the moment arose, all the while still moving forward at Whamon's pace so they wouldn't lose the giant whale digimon. Kairi swung back into his warm embrace in the chill that came from being wet and all of her fears about the dream vanished as the dream itself faded from her memory. She smiled softly as Keys held her in the air and leaned her head upwards to softly kiss his lips. It wasn't as passionate as a few other kisses they had shared, but with how gentle their lips pressed together it fitted perfectly into the romantic moment.

"Sora," she commanded softly as she leaned back to gaze starry-eyed into his blue eyes, "sing me something." Keys balked and stared at her.

"What? Now?" he asked incredulously. Kairi nodded her head and came in closer, resting her head against the fabric of his black t-shirt with the inner fleece of his jacket wrapping gently around the back of her head. She knew that he couldn't say no, when she heard him sigh and the rustle of his head as he looked around for inspiration. She simply listened to his heart beating and her own quiet breathing in those few moments of silence, his heartbeat's pace had increased. She both felt and heard his intake of breath and he began.

"_When the night,_" he started, _"has come, and the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we'll see."_ He placed a hand under her chin and she obeyed the soft pressure he was guiding her with, to look once more into the irises that captivated her.

"_No I won't, be afraid. No I won't, be afraid. Just as long as you stand, stand by me." _He started to slowly rotate around in the air, swaying slightly as he worked into a smooth nighttime dance.

"_So Kairi, Kairi, stand by me, oh stand, by me. Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me."_

"_If the sky, that we look upon, should tumble and fall; or the mountains, should crumble to the sea."_ Kairi held on as he silently kept rotating around, and added her support into the dance, a smile on her face as she listened to him serenade her while they slowly turned around.

"_I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear. Just as long, as you stand, stand by me."_

"_And Kairi, Kairi, stand, by me, oh stand, by me. Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me."_ He held her close, and Kairi drew closer, to place her head softly upon his shoulder while they held this inseparable position. It was a humble feeling, the two of them together like this, on a far-away world. But it was also the most romantic thing in Kairi's mind that Sora had ever done. It was even more wonderful than when they had danced together in the ballroom of Beast's Castle.

"_Kairi, Kairi, stand,"_ he continued, softer now, _"by me, oh stand, by me. Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me. Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand, by me? Stand, by me, oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me."_ Keys finished and Kairi pulled her head back to look at him. And then he kissed her in the middle of the night as the soft moonlight still flowed down from the heavens.

No stars went out that night.

* * *

Asterix awoke slowly in a daze. As soon as his eyelids reluctantly fluttered open he immediately felt the pain in the back of his head from where the heartless' shield had struck him. He looked around, his senses barely overcoming the daze and the sheer sense of cold terror that seemed to permeate through him. He was stuck in an iron cage, the lock hanging tightly outside of the cage. The late morning sun was above him, its light streaming through the rusted bars. There was a bit of straw in the cage bottom that he was resting on, and probably could have used as a pillow if he had been conscious. The cage itself was a square of only about eight cubic meters (2m2m2m). He looked further out of the cage and saw the high palisade walls of a fortified roman camp, but which camp he was in was currently beyond him. He would need that knowledge if he was going to try and escape. His eyes were drawn down from the continual feeling of dread he was experiencing and the sounds of hissing, and his heart froze.

About a dozen strange black creatures, those that Riku, Max… and Yuffie had called heartless, were moving about the camp's interior, keeping a constant presence and silent vigil as they waited for orders. A few were eyeing him with an emotion Asterix could only fathom as insatiable hunger. He shivered at the thought of it, and his eyes saw more that he dreaded. Legionaries ambled about in typical roman disarray liking to that of an attack on his village, but they were not ordinary legionaries. Their skin was a hue of darker purple, and their shields bore a strange heart-like insignia on their shields.

Asterix recognized the first type as those that he, Obelix, and the others had fought against once, and that these legionaries must be those that had captured him.

But if they were able to strike at him from within his own hut, appearing out of nowhere, then how safe was he from them inside his cell? His arm reached out for his gourd, only to remember that one of the legionary heartless had pierced the container with its spear. He grabbed the gourd anyway, but found it bone-dry.

Asterix sighed in despair and rubbed his aching head, escape now seemed impossible without the magic potion. A hissing chuckle came from behind him and he turned around sharply.

"How are you liking your accommodations?" hissed the Centurion, his words barely decipherable. Asterix's lip curled in a growl as he looked at the man before him. The same chill that came from the neoshadows came from his as well, but it seemed more sinister in its darkness than those of the other heartless.

"I won't tell you anything," Asterix said obstinately. The Centurion laughed in a hiss that made the hair on the back of the Gaul's neck stand on end.

"I need nothing from you," his captor hissed delightedly. "I intend to destroy your village with the powers of darkness and the heartless. Your druid's magic potion will be powerless to stop us." Asterix quickly thought up an idea and smirked at the Centurion.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked cleverly. The Centurion stopped and eyed him suspiciously. "Taking our village is all well and good," continued Asterix, pleased that he was gaining his adversary's undivided attention. "I'm sure Caesar will be pleased. You will go up to him in Rome and say 'All Gaul is conquered,' and when he will ask 'All?' you will reply with 'All.'" The Centurion growled and Asterix knew he was pressing buttons.

"But, how far could the heartless take you?" asked Asterix calmly. "You could destroy my village, and lose many heartless to the powers of our magic potion, or," a twinkle sparked within the cunning warrior's eye, "you could rally instead against your fellow Romans, and any men who willingly follow you could have the magic potion of the Gauls to call upon as _you_ strive to become Caesar!" Asterix spoke this last line triumphantly, confident that he had won the Centurion over. He knew these Roman Centurions that had governed the garrisons; they all hungered to become Caesar in revenge for sticking them out here.

His smirk slinked off his face when the hissing voice of the Centurion came to him in a dry laugh.

"I know you do not have the secret to the magic potion Gaul," responded the Centurion. "That is a secret known only to your druid, and can only be passed from druid to druid by word of mouth."

"How do you know if I haven't become a druid?"

"How do you know if I actually _want_ to be something as pitiful as Caesar!" the Centurion roared, and the indomitable Gaul actually retreated further to press his back against the bars of his cage as flecks of spittle struck his mustache. Now he seemed to tower above Asterix, the full sense of the darkness he embodied taking form around him in a breathtaking aura.

"I am much greater than Caesar," the Centurion growled in his ever hiss-like speech. "I am the heartless of the proud Roman Centurion Newyearus, and when your village has fallen I shall declare to Caesar that the great camp of Totorum had surpassed the might of Rome itself! And then I shall rip out the heart of Julius Caesar!" He flashed Asterix a twisted and sinister smile.

"And after that," he hissed almost in anticipation, "I shall depart from this world, with my legions of heartless behind me, and join my ever-watchful master Maleficent. We shall be put to good use in her massive armies, and become the greatest branch of her strength, the corps to which all the most important missions are assigned, the missions that provide us with the most _succulent_ hearts upon which to feed."

"But first," hissed Newyearus, to whom Asterix was now trembling in terror; "I shall let you dwell on all of this for today, and then tomorrow the order will be given. You will join us to watch our feast on your village, before I rip out your heart." Newyearus spun on his heel and left Asterix feeling colder than when he had come.

"_So I'm in Totorum,_ Asterix thought after an hour where he could do nothing but watch the events of the next day unfold in his mind over and over again. _Now that I know where I am, I'll be able to warn the village._ His face dropped in despair again as he looked around. He'd never be able to make it out of the cage, and even then get clear to the forest where he'd be able to drop pursuit, without losing his heart, or at least being detained and recaptured.

* * *

"What have you to report Nixion?" Maleficent asked as the Nobody appeared in her meeting room. Starscream stood behind her, providing his imposing presence as her bodyguard. In his eyes, none were to be trusted in meeting with his master apart from him, and surprisingly, he proved to be as quiet as a shadow. Nixion's face was contorted in slight pain, a meager annoyance in his opinion. He swiftly surveyed his master sitting in her usual seat with the transformer behind her. She had her register in front of her and the map usually pinned to the wall on the table as well.

"Sir Roxas and Princess Naminé are currently out of action," he said eagerly, trying to bring the good news to the forefront.

"I already know of this Nixion," Maleficent replied coolly. "Do you have anything new?" He opened his mouth to speak but a look from his master cut him off. "And I also know of Hyrule. I had explicitly ordered you to send heartless to Gaul, Earth Echo, Ant Island, Atlantis, and Yuktobania. I _did not_ order you to in any way harm Hyrule or any other worlds apart from Twilight Town. Nixion shifted uncomfortably under Maleficent's cruel gaze.

"I had thought it best to decrease the number of worlds that might be a threat," he explained, looking at the two before him. Starscream's face showed that he was pleased that Nixion was slowly falling out of Maleficent's favour. All that the transformer had seen since arriving in Bara-dûr was Maleficent and Nixion bickering with each other during Nixion's occasional reports.

Maleficent did not give any physical signs to show that she was not pleased with him.

"You thought wrong on this account my faithful servant," Maleficent answered. "Hyrule would have been left in the dark by us, unaware of the conflict raging throughout the galaxy. There are denizens of light on that world that harbor great powers to conquer shadow. And now that their world has been lost, we can only hope that none of them made it to sanctuary on another world." She rose and gave her map a long stare.

"But you have still done well in doing so," she said, surprising the Nobody at the sudden hint of, was that kindness, in her voice?

"I am pleased," Nixion said. Maleficent eyed him from gazing at the map.

"You should be," she said. "For the heart of Hyrule shall be the first test. You're dismissed."

"I have one more matter my master," Nixion spoke quickly, knowing that he was defying another order. He wanted to know what this test would be, but he knew it was not yet his place to know. Maleficent raised her gaze once more and gave him a cold stare.

"You are trying my patience dear Nixion," she spoke. "Make it quick." Nixion bowed as a portal of darkness opened behind him.

"Of course my master," he said as a man stepped out of the portal. "I have found a valuable ally on Earth Echo, one whose forces compliment the weaknesses of our own." Maleficent eyed him and the man sharply, interested in the proposition. The man that stood before her was completely bald, a small brown bread that wound around his lips, taking in his mustache entirely, and leaving the area directly underneath his lips clean apart from a small goatee at the bottom of his chin. He was dressed entirely in a black robe, and held himself with dignified grace as he looked at Maleficent with his black eyes.

"Nixion tells me that your heartless and nobodies can be defeated easily by those who wield magical weapons known as keyblades as well as normal munitions," said the man. "My men, are fanatically devoted to my cause, and if I take up with you, we shall be able to conquer far more than just my own world."

"What does this have to do with your first statement?" Maleficent asked with narrowed eyes.

He glanced at Nixion with a smile before drawing his attention back to Maleficent. "Your heartless," he said with a chuckle, dodging the question, "attempted to engage my forces, and were utterly defeated by our superior firepower. If these special wielders come along, they will find human flesh much harder to destroy than that of darkness, while a bullet rips through all." Maleficent smiled and he continued. "In the darkness I have seen the final act, and I know that we'll succeed. All I need is an ally with interplanetary travel."

"And all I need is an ally who can destroy those who oppose us with his armies," Maleficent spoke up, rising from her chair with an evil smile on her face. She glided silently towards him and he walked casually in time towards her. "What is your name?" Maleficent asked as balls of darkness formed in her hands. The man smiled as she struck him and imbued him with the power of darkness.

"The Brotherhood is ready to achieve galactic peace through power," said he in a gleeful manner, the power he now held giving him a feeling of ecstasy. "They can't kill the messiah!"

Nixion looked at them both with his yellow eyes, hiding the concern they held within them.

* * *

_So that's it then_, Asterix thought as he looked at the dying afternoon sun. _I'm trapped here, only to face a fate worse than death_. He had sat alone in his cage for hours, contemplating every possible escape route and every implication and outcome of each attempt. In his mind, all had failed. In his time though, he had noticed one of the legionary heartless shield less, and recognized it as the one he had struck back in his hut. He could only imagine the chaos ensuing in the village when they found that shield and his helmet.

He raised his head helplessly to the heavens, looking through the oxidized iron ceiling of his cage towards the pink sky.

"May Toutatis protect the village," he whispered in prayer.

_The gods already do._

Asterix whirled around, searching for the sound of the voice, unable to locate it. It seemed feminine, and definitely not what he would have thought the voice of his male god.

"Who are you?" Asterix whispered. The voice seemed to giggle in his hysteria.

_All in due time wielder of the keyblade,_ the voice of the goddess spoke. _Your village is protected by the favour of the gods; it will be safe from the coming attack._ Asterix furrowed his brow and his eyes darted about, still trying to locate the voice before realizing he was being spoken to through his mind.

_How do you know this?_ He asked in thought.

_You have been chosen by the ancient pantheon,_ the goddess answered,_ as have all the other wielders of the keyblade. Your village is protected by your vigilance._

_But I have failed,_ Asterix argued. _I cannot escape, and the village will be destroyed. Everyone will die and I cannot warn them of the danger!_

_You have only failed in your actions,_ continued the voice, _through keeping out of the affairs of other worlds you have survived. But now the time has come to return to the worlds outside of your boundaries, otherwise all you love will fall._ Asterix bowed his head down in understanding.

"What must I do great goddess who speaks to my heart?" he asked in a voice that was barely a whisper.

_Follow the command of your heart, and embrace that which you have been given. You require not the magic potion of your druid to win the battle for this world._ With that he felt the divine presence leave him, and Asterix looked up in grim determination. Now he knew what he had to do; now he knew what that empty place in his heart was from. He had missed the spirit of adventure that had carried him through the war so many years ago, where he had fought soldiers and wielders of the dark realm without magic potion, and had come out victorious. He glanced at the lock on the outside of his cage and ignored the hunger that plagued his senses. The Indomitable appeared in his hands without a moment's hesitation.

Upon its appearance all the heartless within the camp felt its presence and started to move towards him as he tapped the lock. He shoved open the cage door with his shoulder and stepped out to grimly face against them, brandishing his keyblade in front of him, a smile upon his lips as the heartless fleetingly halted, fearing the blade. This was the challenge he had been waiting for.

But other matters pressed him. He was but one warrior, and he would need Riku's help if he was going to defeat the attack on the village. And to do that, he would need to get to the village. A neoshadow came out at him first, reaching for his abdomen with its clawed hand. Asterix nimbly ducked under the arm and cut into the chest of the heartless with his blade. The neoshadow hissed in agony before he silenced it with a quick slice over its heart. The creature vanished into darkness and Asterix dashed forwards.

"By Belenos!" Asterix cried, diving straight into the fray. He dodged a lunge from a legionary and quickly cut through it with his extended keyblade, dashing through the inky dark cloud as the pink heart rose into the sky. He felt sickened at the feeling of the remaining darkness from the heartless but while he was momentarily hidden he leapt into the air and landed on another legionary's shoulders. Using them as a springboard, he leapt again, this time coming down with a great slash of his keyblade through a small swath of heartless near the gate. He released his keyblade and dashed into the forest with the magic of haste he had learned during his experiences eighteen years previous, somehow he knew as well that it would be harder for them to track him if he did not hold onto his keyblade.

In the confusion his enemies suffered from his sudden escape, Asterix was able to gain a mile on them before Newyearus could begin to feel angry.

* * *

_(A/N 1): See Asterix and the Secret Weapon._

_We are coming closer to our conclusion, of part 1. And expect tensions to fly as mysteries come to light and the plot deepens._

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	38. Sedah and the Great Crest Hunt

_I've been waiting to do these next few chapters for ages. Here is where the tensions and anxiety build as we near the final act of the first act._

_Please forgive the length, but I have much to go through in these last three chapters and I only want forty. Don't ask me why, I'm not sure myself._

_Because it is so long, if you feel inclined to write mini-reviews during the chapter, please do so in a PM._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Digimon, Final Fantasy… _

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXVIII: Sedah and the Great Crest Hunt

Keys awoke slowly as the sun rose steadily into the sky from its place on the horizon. The red light glanced off of the glistening waves of the ocean that broke gently against Whamon's gigantic body and streamed into his now opening eyelids. A tear welled up in his eyelids as he gazed in majesty at the new dawn. The soft sounds of the others' breathing added into the sounds of the ocean that met his ears. He keenly recognized Aiwemon's beside him, the air leaving the two slits in his beak in a gentle hiss, and Kairi on his other side. He smiled as he looked at her sleeping figure and the sea spray entered his nostrils, the salty scent even going down to his tongue. But he was used to such occurrences, having grown up on islands, and his heart enjoyed the smell and taste even more as its familiarity entered once more. But Keys couldn't deny that the sight of a peacefully sleeping Kairi brought more joy to him that moment than anything else. It was the morning of their fourth day out from File Island, and to his knowledge Kairi had slept soundlessly for the last two nights.

_Ever since we danced in the moonlight._

Keys sighed wistfully as he gazed at his princess, sleeping in the early morning light. Her black shirt was dirty (though he could scarcely tell because it was black) and stained from the salty ocean spray. There were a few small rips in it, as well as her skirt, caused from the battles that had occurred since they were aboard the _Dutchman_. A small dark patch was stained on her navy skirt, from blood that had leaked from her leg at some point. Keys wondered what it could have been from. His eyes strayed back up to her chest and he smiled when he saw the crown pendant he had given her for her birthday still hanging from around her neck. There was no blemish upon the metal, and he could see a small part of her face reflected in it where the metal was smooth. Her auburn hair was matted and frayed, and longer than he had remembered her having when they were still on Destiny Islands. He moved some of his own hair out of his eyes and grimaced when he finally acknowledged that the last of the gel had been worn out of his brown hair.

He gave Kairi one last look and smiled once more at her peaceful face before he rose onto his own feet. Looking around, he recognized that Tai was the only other one awake in the morning's chill air. He strode towards the digidestined leader, careful not to tread on any others or their partners. Tai glanced over at him as he approached and they nodded to each other.

"It's been four days since we left File Island," Tai stated, staring ahead of him. Keys nodded.

"Four eventful and uneventful days," he agreed. Tai looked at him in curiosity and Keys answered his unspoken questions. "First day," Keys began, "we build the raft with the help of the Island digimon, begin sailing, meet Whamon, destroy the black gear within him, destroy the black gear inside of Drimogemon, and find the tags. First night, a star vanishes, Kairi and I dive into our hearts and find that Roxas and Naminé, our siblings," he added seeing Tai's forgetful face, "have been placed in hospital because they fell defending Twilight Town from our enemy. Then Kairi had her nightmare again that night. Nothing big happened at all on our second day out, but while everyone was asleep at night Kairi and I had a moonlight dance."

"Sounds romantic," Tai said with a laugh. Keys blushed and rubbed his nose while the leader sniggered.

"Anyway," Keys continued loudly, drowning out Tai, "Nothing happened again yesterday, and nothing happened during the night."

"So now here we are," Tai concluded; "The fourth day out, not a sign of Server, and preparing for another uneventful day."

"You spoke too soon Tai," Whamon countered. "We're almost there." Tai gave a yelp of surprise.

"What, really?" he asked, reaching for his pocket telescope. He placed it to his eye while Keys placed a hand over his eyes and gazed out. Nothing but a small haze on the horizon was visible to his eyes but Tai spoke contradictory.

"An island," the leader mused through his pocket telescope, "or maybe it might just be the continent of Server."

"It's Server," Whamon confirmed. "And I did it in less time than five days. I should get a tip." Keys looked down at Whamon and smiled.

"Hey, you said three and a half without traffic," he argued jokingly. Whamon chuckled.

"I met you guys the afternoon of your first day," he reasoned; "By your reckoning that would make it three and a half days." Keys smiled wider and patted the giant digimon's head.

"I knew that Whamon," he said approvingly. "What would you like? If it's in my power to give I'll gladly do it."

"As long as it isn't all of our fish," Tai warned in jest. Whamon laughed loudly, loud enough to start waking a few of the digidestined.

"Don't worry kids," he said. "This one's free. You guys saved me from Devimon's power. If I can ever help you out, I'll gladly do it." Both guys currently awake smiled at the giant digimon.

"Thanks a lot Whamon," Keys said.

"We'll take you up on that offer if we're ever in the neighborhood again," Tai said before turning around to the mass of sleepy digidestined and digimon. "Hey guys wake up!" he called loudly. "We're landing on Server soon." Keys saw Matt cock open an eye as he leaned up from his back.

"I was just resting my eyes a little." Joe sleepily adjusted his glasses as he woke.

"Well your eyes were snoring pretty loudly," he said to Matt.

"Come on," Tai said quickly, "we'll be landing in a few minutes. We have to make sure we have everything ready."

"So we're really there?" Sora asked as she got up. Keys nodded and prodded Aiwemon with his toe.

"Rise and shine buddy," he said as his shoe poked into his partner's wing. "We're almost there." Aiwemon opened his eyes and looked up at Keys.

"That's good," he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his wing, "but I'd rather have something to eat first." Keys laughed and placed him on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," he assured. "I'll make sure we all have breakfast as soon as we land."

"It would be nice to eat without having to worry about food washing away," T.K. piped up. Keys smiled at him and turned Kairi over as she woke up. Her eyes met his for a moment and she smiled before they were suddenly drawn past him.

"Hey what's that?" she asked. Keys turned around and now saw that a large shoreline of the continent could now be seen with his naked eye.

"Wow," exclaimed Agumon, "that island's huge!"

"It's not an island," explained Tentomon, hovering in the air above them on his insect wings, "it's the continent of Server." Palmon left the party and went to stand next to Mimi's head, as she still slept on, or was half-asleep.

"Hey Mimi wake up," Palmon urged. "You just have to see this. We're going to land on the shores of a big continent." Mimi turned over in response and laid down on her other side.

"No," she moaned. "I'm getting a pedicure." Palmon sighed and placed a vine-fingered hand to her head as Keys laughed loudly and shook his head. A glint in Kairi's eye caught his and he looked at her.

"Do you want to know what I was dreaming about?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Keys raised his eyebrow and Kairi continued before he could even begin to contemplate what she could have been dreaming. "I was dreaming about us," she continued, her eyes emanating all the warmth in her heart, "and how we danced together in the moonlight, and in the ballroom." Keys smiled and squeezed her shoulder affectionately before getting up and moving to Izzy. The computer expert was tapping away on the keyboard of his laptop with a map of Server on the screen.

"What's up Izzy?" he asked as a small piece of paper came out of a drive in the laptop.

"I've been analyzing the map and I've found the best possible landing site in our vicinity," he explained. Izzy looked up from his laptop and gasped. "Wow Whamon, you sure do move fast."

"Thanks kid," the whale digimon replied. Keys looked around in confusion and found that they were already near the shores of the continent.

"I don't think I could have flown here as fast," he whispered in awe, looking down at the bulk of Whamon's head as they went past two columns of rock sticking out of the ocean like the teeth of a giant creature. Any who had previously been asleep, or feigning sleep, finally shook off the shackles that had them confined to the dream-world and stood, wide-eyed and awed as they entered the fiord. The rocky shore was not the sandy beach that Keys had been expecting; in fact it simply jutted out as a cliff above the waves, letting anyone who might unwarily venture too close to the edge plummet ten feet into the waves below.

But that wasn't a problem for the gigantic Whamon, who swam right up to a foot from the cliff's edge. Tai and Agumon were the first to drop off, sliding down the side of Whamon's head to land hard on their feet against the continent. Keys held onto Aiwemon in his arms, the bird digimon preferring to eat before expending energy flying, and lifted off into the air. He glided off and touched down next to Joe as the younger boy had just finished sliding down with Gomamon. Kairi landed next to him, Menelmon flapping her wings before landing on the ground near her partner's feet, giving Aiwemon a cold stare.

"You lazy bird," she scolded, pointing her wing at him. Aiwemon opened one sly green eye at her and hopped out of Keys' arms. Menelmon bristled and ruffled her feathers as he walked towards her, Biyomon and Sora sliding down next to Kairi.

"I take after my partner," Aiwemon said as he got closer. Kairi and Menelmon both grimaced while Keys placed his hands behind his head and looked slightly away, touched.

"Lazy bum," Kairi said. Keys bristled this time and looked at her sharply.

"Hey!" he retorted. "How am I being lazy right now?" Kairi came up at a loss and Izzy came down, Tentomon flying above his shoulders.

"Come on down Mimi!" Tai called as Palmon slid down, seeing that she was the last one still atop of Whamon. Keys looked up at the girl and saw that she had her hands near her mouth in fear.

"Um, this is a little too X-treme Sports for me," she cried. "Couldn't someone just airlift me off of here?" Keys sighed and looked towards Tai, who smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry we can't just move the continent for you Mimi," Izzy said, not a hint of a true apology in his voice. "Now according to the map, this is the best place to come ashore."

"You can do it Mimi," Joe said in assurance, "really. Just put one foot in front of the other. It's just as easy as falling off a log."

"Well I've fallen off of plenty of logs," Mimi answered, "and believe me it's not as easy as it _looks!_" the last word came out as a shriek as Whamon bounced into the shore, forcibly causing Mimi to lose her balance and begin to slide down. She lifted into the air near the end of her descent and crashed into Izzy, flattening him down onto the ground.

"I think I broke a nail," she moaned as she got up.

"I think you broke Izzy," Kairi muttered, looking at the sandwiched boy.

"There should be a village of Koromon a few miles inland from here in a forest," Whamon said. "They should be able to help." Keys nodded at him as the giant whale turned around.

"Thanks again Whamon," he said appreciatively. Whamon chuckled as he moved farther out.

"No problem kid, good luck finding the crests." Whamon then dived and Keys gulped. He had no idea that the water had been that deep so close to shore.

They then sat down and had a better breakfast than any they had had in the last few days since leaving File Island. For one thing, despite Keys and Kairi, they hadn't been able to cook anything over an open flame while they had traveled on top of a living creature. Aiwemon was feeling much more inclined to fly alongside a walking Keys after eating when they set out again.

The landscape was rather much the same as that of the shoreline as Keys noted, rocky, barren and lifeless. Not even the birds sang here. But he couldn't shake a feeling of uneasiness that was entering his heart. It was familiar, the same feeling he got whenever the heartless were near. His eyes darted around amongst the crags, hoping and dreading he'd find a glimpse of a shadow creeping around. A soft hand touching his shoulder jolted Keys out of his search and his eyes found Kairi's.

"Sora," she whispered. "What is it?"

"I can feel heartless around Kairi," he said earnestly. "I just don't know where they are. The fight is nothing, but the suspense is killing me." Kairi nodded and looked at their hands while Mimi griped about wanting a bath.

"Aren't the heartless attracted to the keyblade?" she asked. Keys nodded.

"Yes. They fear the keyblade and so swarm towards a holder of the blade in an attempt to destroy their fear." Kairi placed a finger to her chin in thought, but before Keys could even shake his head at her Joe cried out.

"Hey look over there!" he cried, pointing out across a barren plain towards a forest in the distance. But his finger sank at the sounds of shouting and came to rest at a scuffle that was taking place in the midst of the plain. Plumes of darkness kept rising from where Joe was pointing, and Keys spared no time rushing forward past the other digidestined. He knew heartless when he saw them. Aiwemon flew next to him, matching his speed with his wings and Kairi and Menelmon were right behind. The others followed, but they couldn't match their speed.

The Oblivion made its appearance within his right hand and Keys changed his course slightly as roughly half of the force of heartless, which he noticed consisted entirely of neoshadows, turned away from their opponent and started moving towards him. He smirked and drew his left hand behind him, fire curling in it. With a cry he swept his hand out in front of him twice and dozens of small fireballs barreled out of his palm towards the heartless. The neoshadows stopped as the fireballs impaled them, but moments later Keys was upon and among them, arching his blade with precision and finesse into the mass. Three fell in an instant, and two more were taken out as the black steel of the Oblivion paved its way through the head of one and then the back of another in what seemed as one fluid motion. His keyblade felt no resistance from the dark flesh of the heartless, ripping through what was rapidly becoming a mist of darkness around him. His desire to protect whoever it was the heartless had mobbed to was his only consideration as he cleaved his way through the mass, clearing away the heartless as a farmer scythes through grain.

If he'd only known how much pain that figure would cause him.

Blue blasts came streaming from Aiwemon's eyes, striking the heartless near Keys and causing them pause long enough for the keyblade his partner held to smite them. Aiwemon's talons ripped through neoshadows as he covered the back of his partner. The claws of the neoshadows were sharp and came quickly, but Aiwemon's talons were keener and the bird was faster. None touched either his or Keys' bodies as the heartless quickly found themselves outnumbered by the pair.

Kairi had stood back from the battle, staring along with the other digidestined at the display as the dark mists continued to grow around the battling pair. She knew that he could fight, hell she'd fought alongside him, but there was something different now and she couldn't quite tell what it was. Keys and Aiwemon burst out of the cloud of darkness, heading for the remaining group while the cloud faded away to reveal that nothing had survived their purge.

Keys gripped his keyblade tightly as he charged forward towards the final cohort, still in a ring around their target. Aiwemon was beside him, glowing.

"Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon!" He hit the ground running, his mace held readily in his burly arms while his beak snapped angrily at the group of foes in front of them. He pointed his mace in front of him while they got closer and he continued to run with a cry of, "Feathered Mace!" Heartless vanished as the feathers continually struck into the mass, which finally took notice of their approach. Too late though. Ohtarmon relinquished his attack as he got closer. He swung his mace when he broke into the tide and the pure white energy coming from his attack obliterated them into only the wispiest of dark mists.

Keys leapt up into the air as his partner broke into the mass and positioned his keyblade's point downwards and raising it above his head, the Oblivion slowly becoming shrouded in a cloud of electricity. The neoshadows never saw it coming when he landed and drove his blade's tip into the ground in a finishing blow. The pent up electricity surged out in a shockwave pattern and created a wide circle of destruction against his enemies. Keys pulled the Oblivion out of the reddish earth and mowed down the last heartless that stood between him and the initial target of the heartless. The figure wore light blue armour of a hue that he'd never seen before, but the black sword he held was wreathed in fire, the flames of which were blue with the purest black at their core. Keys placed his back to the figure, who he noticed was taller than him, and Ohtarmon moved in so they formed a triangle. They nodded curtly at each other before each of them dove into the horde of heartless in front of them. Oblivion's black steel dealt death to any heartless that stood in its wake as fires erupted from its master's eyes. Neoshadows crept forward against Keys, wary of the reach of his blade, but their eyes could not see fast enough to catch sight of the boy moving seamlessly amongst them, his keyblade ignited in the fire of his passion. A loud ring broke out as the Oblivion came down on the head of an unsuspecting neoshadow and a spark came through the darkness from the connection with a snow white keyblade. Kairi had joined the battle at last. She darted past Keys to hold against a mob making for their new companion, and her blade showed no mercy to any heartless in its wake. Kairi was keeping her oath.

Their new ally swept his brute sword in a wide arc in front of him, dispatching the heartless into puffs of smoke. The momentum of his swing brought his sword precariously close to Kairi, and she winced slightly as the edge of the sword nicked her in the side while her attention was focused against the last remaining company that Keys and Ohtarmon were now engaging.

None noticed a small black jolt enter the wound.

"Let's end this," the man in armour said, dropping his left hand from his sword and raising it against the heartless. What appeared to be light suddenly surrounded the remaining group and shone down on the heartless, causing them to cower in fear.

"Nova Blast!" Greymon's fireball crashed into the center of the heartless and finally destroyed the last of them. Ohtarmon glanced at Keys as the latter released his keyblade.

"Well," said Ohtarmon, shouldering his mace as he spoke, "that takes care of that." Keys nodded and moved towards Kairi, who was still standing near the man. She was shaking her head slightly with one hand on it, but Keys ignored it for now and moved instead towards the armoured person.

"Thanks for the help keyblader," the armoured person said, planting the tip of his sword into the ground and leaning slightly on its hilt. Keys stopped for a moment and looked curiously at the person.

"Excuse me?" Something had registered in his mind about the term, but he couldn't quite figure out what. The armoured knight removed his helmet to reveal his face of blue skin, brown hair tinged with blue flowing over his handsome, youthful face. Keys stopped and stared at his appearance, with black eyes and lips. The man chuckled and placed his helmet under his arm and extended his arm towards Keys in friendship.

"Thanks for the help," he reiterated. He smiled even further while he forcibly shook Keys' hand. "I'm an Ebunik," he explained, indicating his appearance. "My people hail from the world of Grascora. I fell under attack by those, creatures, and escaped into a portal of my creation. Unfortunately, it seems they followed me here." He smiled meekly as Keys stared at him in awe. He'd never seen a person like this before, and the appearance of another off-worlder here was disturbing to say the least. But, he didn't feel very dark at all, so he took this as a fortunate turn of events.

If he had been paying more attention, he would have noticed that he didn't feel anything, light or dark, from this man. Keys turned his head as Ohtarmon and Greymon came up with the rest of the digimon and digidestined. A bright glow surrounded the two champion level digimon and they reverted back into their rookie forms.

"Wow Keys," Matt said in stunned appreciation. "We never knew you could fight like _that_! Remind us not to get on your bad side, like, ever." Keys smiled as he looked at the younger boy. The Ebunik cleared his throat and Keys turned around to look at him again.

"Keys?" he asked. "I thought your name was 'Sora'?" Keys raised his hands and shrugged.

"Well that's my nickname on this world," he explained before becoming curious. "Hey wait a second, how did you even know my name? And what's yours anyway?"

"I am called Sedah," the man replied, "knight of the kingdom of light known as the Wurderlond. Son of Sonork, brother of Nodiesop and Suez." He spat mentioning his last brother's name and Keys cocked his head slightly.

"Bit of bad blood between you two?" Matt asked, folding his arms. Sedah nodded his head and looked inquiringly at the group of digidestined. Keys popped his head up in sudden remembrance.

"Oh right," he said hurriedly. "Uh, Sir Sedah, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Tai, and that's his partner Agumon over there, Sora and Biyomon, Matt and Gabumon, Joe and Gomamon, Mimi and Palmon, Izzy and Tentomon, T.K. and Poyomon, this here is my digimon partner Aiwemon."

"Nice to meet you Sir Sedah," the bird rookie replied, inclining his head at Sedah.

"And this," Keys concluded in confusion as he steered Kairi and Menelmon towards the knight. He had no idea why she had seemed to fall back, into obscurity. He paused for half a heartbeat as he considered what Sedah had said before going on. "This is,"

"Princess Kairi," Sedah finished for him, "keybla-keybearer, princess of heart, and of the Radiant Garden. And her digimon partner Menelmon." He then kissed her hand in respect. Keys and Kairi blinked, and didn't notice a tiny wince when Sedah's lips touched Kairi's hand, but Aiwemon noticed both the verbal slip-up and wince and frowned as much as a beak would allow.

"How do you know all this?" Kairi asked wearily. Keys looked in concern at the tone of her voice, and Menelmon noticed a twitch in the corners of Sedah's mouth. Before the knight could answer Agumon spoke up.

"Tai I smell Koromon," said the digimon, pointing his nose towards the forest.

"Really?" the goggle-headed leader asked. Agumon nodded and led the way into the forest, into which the others slowly followed. Keys held back with Kairi, as she was showing a reluctance to follow Sedah and the others into the wood.

"Kairi?" Keys asked softly in concern, "Are you okay?" She shook her head slightly.

"Uh, yeah," she replied unsteadily, contradicting her head shake. "Yeah I think I am. Oh, I don't know." She looked into Keys' eyes and he was surprised to see fear in them. "Sora," she whispered. "Something about this guy seems familiar, but… he scares me." Keys' eyes widened in surprise as she continued. "And I don't know why, but something _hurt_ when he kissed my hand. And he said he's a knight of a kingdom of light Sora. A _knight of light_." Keys nodded and held her hands close to his chest. She didn't need to say anything more to him.

A tear formed in the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek.

Kairi leaned closer into him and Keys' hands left hers to support her as her form slumped into his chest. "I feel so tired," Kairi moaned wearily. Keys steadied her and slowly led Kairi away into the forest after the others. Menelmon and Aiwemon shared a concerned glance with each other before soaring into the air, staying close to Kairi the whole time.

At length they came out of the forest and in front of them lay a valley in which a village of dusty-brown pavilions lay. Many of the pavilions were small and appeared to be only one storey high, but in the center of the village one towering building stood above them all.

"Great!" T.K. exclaimed while rubbing his foot. "We can rest."

"Even better," Mimi corrected, dashing down the hill towards the village. "A bath!"

"Mimi wait!" Palmon cried, following closely behind her partner. Agumon looked up at Tai, keeping him and the others from following the girl for the moment.

"Tai something doesn't feel quite right here," he said. The others nodded and cautiously moved down the hill after Mimi. They suddenly heard her give a startled cry and their speed increased, Kairi forcing herself to keep going. They spotted Palmon lying flat on her back in the middle of a path in the village with Mimi being carried by about a dozen little grey balls with large floppy ears.

"Are those Koromon?" Sedah asked while they chased after them, Palmon at the front of their line.

"No those are Pagumon," Tentomon said, "and there are more to them than meets the eye." Keys rounded a corner and saw nothing but the Pagumon in every direction.

"Which way did they go?" Gomamon asked. They heard another cry for help that came from the towering pavilion to their right.

"To the Tower!" Tai called, rushing forward through the drawn entrance flap. Had the situation not been so hasty, Keys would have had time to marvel at the appearance of the inside, purple rugs, giant chandelier, white balustrades on the upper floors, and two winding staircases flanking the entrance.

"Hey look up there," Sora said, pointing at a pink object on one of the stairs as she went to get it. "It's Mimi's hat… there's the price tag, it's Mimi's alright." Keys came up onto the upper floor with Kairi, Tai, Izzy, Sora, and Joe and they spotted her purse lying on the floor that led towards another room. Mimi never went anywhere without it.

"Logically that could mean only one thing," Izzy said. "She's missing." Tai strode forward angrily.

"Alright that does it," he growled, shoving aside a curtain and moving into a room lined with cages and boxes on the sides. Another curtain was drawn at the front of the room, concealing anything behind it. Keys, Kairi, Sora, and Izzy went into the room after Tai, and while Izzy hung close to their leader the other three examined something sticking out of one of the boxes that rested in a cage, which now that he thought about it looked more like a shelf.

His face instantly reddened and he felt Kairi's gaze on the back of his head, boring holes into his skull. He dimly heard Sora yelling at Tai not to go in, but the embarrassed gasps of Tai and Izzy were enough to tell him that they hadn't gotten the message in time. Keys sunk his head into his hands when he heard the two idiots drop onto the floor from blows to the head and the sound of the curtain being drawn closed once more.

"I thought I told you not to go in there," Sora tisked. Keys slowly slumped past the curtain and out of the room, conscious of Kairi's gaze on him and making dead sure his mind didn't stray.

"Hey where's Mimi?" Joe asked in concern as he passed the younger boy. Keys looked at him.

"She's having a bath," was his answer.

* * *

That night the Pagumon of the village had gathered all of them together on the third storey of the tower, and were celebrating their arrival with such hospitality that Keys had not had before. Never before were Donald, Goofy, and he treated to a banquet upon arriving somewhere, yet now here he was, sitting with a group of kids and their digimon and a knight he knew next to nothing about, being treated to a banquet of exotic and quite delicious fruit.

"_Welcome to our village,"_ the Pagumon, all with party hats adorning their heads, were singing, _"we hope you never go. Stay and visit here with us and please enjoy the show."_

"This is definitely a Pagumon village," Gabumon said to Agumon.

"Something is definitely wrong here Gabumon," the yellow dinosaur digimon replied. "I know what I smelled was Koromon, I'd bet my nose on it."

"I feel just like a princess in a big beautiful palace," Mimi said in a highly pleased tone. "Isn't this what you used to feel like Kairi? It's so nice." Keys looked over at Kairi with concern, as she appeared to be caught off guard with the question.

"What? Oh, well I'm not really sure," Kairi replied half-heartedly, looking down from the platter of fruit in front of her. "I've always been used to doing things for myself. I don't know what I'd do if I started having people serve me and expecting me to do nothing." Mimi frowned at her answer.

"Well I'd relax and live a life of luxury! That's what I'd do if I was a princess."

"I once had a Chihuahua named 'Princess'," Joe said glumly. Kairi glanced away from Mimi towards Keys and smiled meekly at him. He only half-heartedly returned the smile. She had become increasingly weary as the day progressed; she had almost passed out during a tour of the village and surrounding area, given by the Pagumon. After that, Keys had Aiwemon and Menelmon watch her like hawks, which wasn't too hard considering one of them. The other digidestined were all concerned about her well-being as well, especially Joe, but for some reason Sedah was taking an uncanny amount of interest in Kairi. He'd kept asking Keys about her, and despite his constant reminding that she already had a boyfriend, _him_, he'd sadly been unable to deflect the interest the knight had in her. When Kairi almost passed out though, he could almost swear he saw Sedah smirk while he himself was preoccupied with making sure she was well. He sighed and shook his head, deciding to bite into a pear and eat to take his mind off of things.

"This is strange," Tentomon commented. "I've often heard that the Pagumon are terrible pranksters."

"You were just hearing an awful rumor," Gomamon said from next to him.

"Nice of you to say that," a passing Pagumon said.

"These guys are really nice little digimon," Biyomon said from next to Palmon and Menelmon.

"Right," another passing Pagumon confirmed, "nice digimon." Keys couldn't resist looking strangely at them after he heard them say that. Sure they seemed like nice digimon, but he would have thought that they wouldn't need to say it like that. His musing was drawn away by a bright golden light coming from T.K.'s hands.

"Poyomon digivolved to, Tokomon." In front of T.K. now stood a little white digimon with four short and stubby legs, looking a little bit like a pig, with two thin and wavy ears coming from the side of its head.

"Yay!" T.K. cried, "He's Tokomon again!" Tokomon leapt into T.K.'s outstretched hands and the little boy hugged his partner affectionately.

"The food made him digivolve," Izzy observed.

"Congratulations," Matt added.

"Together we can make me Patamon again," Tokomon said, snuggling into T.K.'s shoulder. Keys looked away from them at Mimi, who had suddenly stood up.

"Let's hear it for Tokomon!" she said enthusiastically. Keys raised his eyebrows slightly, but clapped his hands along with the others and gave his congratulations. It seemed a little childish to him, but any cause for celebration in these times was welcome in his opinion.

"_Congratulations, way to go! We're so excited, all aglow!"_

"Kairi!" Keys whipped his head around at Menelmon's voice, away from sighing exasperatedly at the Pagumon's renewed singing. Kairi was face-down on the floor, her arms in front of her with one hand still holding a half-eaten plumb. Keys and Joe were the first humans upon her and they quickly turned her over into the recovery position. Keys only smiled slightly and sighed at their next discovery.

"She's finally fallen asleep," he said, relieved. The others all made sighs of relief and he stood.

"I think that's all the partying tonight we're good for," he announced. "And now, I think we must be getting to bed."

"But," Mimi complained, "we've just started eating!"

"It is only seven at night Keys," Izzy said. "The Sun's just going down."

"Alright fine," Keys relented, "that's all the partying _I'm_ good for tonight." He pinched the bridge of his nose and lay down. "It's just been a tiring day for me is all. Try to keep it down okay?"

"Oh don't worry," one of the Pagumon assured him. "We can move the party into another room, there's more than one here in the tower. You can all come back to sleep here when you eventually tire out."

Even after they had left and the room was dark, Keys still did not fall asleep for hours until the first of the other digidestined wearied. Something was keeping him up. For the first time in two days, Kairi was having a restless sleep.

* * *

From the moment Kairi had fallen asleep she knew something was terribly wrong with her. For starters she had appeared directly onto her platform instead of simply losing her conscious mind to sleep. Glowing white cobblestones now surrounded the platform in an intricate network that led off into the abyss, which no longer looked like an abyss. Now her platform appeared to be in the center of a brightly lit courtyard, beautiful flowers and trees surrounding three fountains that formed a triangle around her platform. She could see shining white walls not far in the distance, with towering parapets and banners rising from the peaks of the corner towers. The spirits of her friends that her heart was connected to: Sora, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, and Max where out and in a frantic pace.

"It's getting too close to the heart!" Sora was yelling at the others. "We're being cut off!"

"What of the threat to other parts of the body?" Naminé interjected quickly. "Are we just going to let them become overrun?"

"We won't last very long if we just sit here," Riku said. "We need to sally forth and fight it back. Then we can worry about places other than the heart." There was a cry from above and Kairi turned her head to see Menelmon flying in as swiftly as her wings could bear her.

"The enemy has taken everything outside our walls," the bird digimon cried, swooping down to the others. Max unsheathed the Defender from the sheath on his back.

"Then that's it then," he said. "We hold a defense of the heart as long as possible."

"HEY!" Kairi suddenly yelled and all eyes were drawn towards her in surprise. None had noticed she was there, and up till now she had felt like a spectator at a tennis rally and completely out of the loop.

"Please excuse my foul language for once," she steamed vehemently. "But what the fuck is happening to me?"

"We're under attack," Sora replied. Kairi turned her gaze on him and he recoiled.

"By what?" she asked sharply, her words cutting through the air like a scythe.

"Darkness," Riku replied and Kairi stopped, looking at him with fear. "Darkness has invaded your body and is taking control. We've been fighting it all day and haven't been able to do anything against it."

"But," Kairi stuttered. "That's impossible! Isn't it?"

"Apparently it's not," Roxas said. "We've erected defensive fortifications around your heart-"

"The platform?" Kairi asked. Naminé nodded.

"Yes the platform," she replied. "It symbolizes and represents your heart, and right now the darkness is cutting your heart off from the other hearts it's connected to."

"So what happens to you guys?" Kairi asked.

"This is our home Kairi," Menelmon said, laying one wing over her chest. "We won't disappear until the heart falls."

"But everything else has been taken," Sora said sadly. "This is the last refuge where your light dwells and it is also its strongest source. Even if you give up or are forced to remain here, I'm sorry to say that your body is no longer in your control."

"So I'm possessed?" Kairi asked, shaking her head. "How could this happen?" The others looked as if they were about to answer when there came a dull booming sound.

"The enemy is at the gates," Riku remarked.

* * *

Far away in the fortress of Bara-dûr, Maleficent was sitting in a dark chair, and putting all her mind to the task of taking over one princess of heart's body. Her resistance so far had been stronger than she'd expected, but it was of little concern to her. She already had complete control over the princess' body, and now she continued only to bring Kairi to her knees and beg for mercy.

Oh, how she would love torturing this one.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Kairi said to those around her while the dull booming continued. "Darkness has somehow infected my body and is possessing me. You guys have been fighting it all day, which would be what was making me tired, and now my heart's under siege."

"That pretty much covers it," Roxas said, looking towards the gate when a particularly loud _boom_ sounded. Kairi sighed and hung her head for a moment, pinching her nose.

"Well let's see what I can do," she said abruptly, making a dash for the gate. The others all glanced at each other before following her, drawing weapons. Kairi reached the gate, the Oathkeeper glowing with a white light as it stayed in her hands, and saw that the strong timbers that made the gate, along with the flowing wrought-iron patterns on the back, were cracking and breaking at the force of a great ram. Then came an eerie call from behind the gate, in a voice that chilled the very marrow of Kairi's bones.

"Open, in the name of the great darkness!"

The ram smote the gate once more, and it burst asunder at the blow. Kairi felt herself flattened by a large piece of timber that had struck her across the chest as other members of her party tried to evade the flying debris as a dust cloud rapidly grew around them, restricting nearly all vision. Her keyblade clattered to the ground when she was struck down. Kairi gasped as someone pushed the beam off of her. She was completely winded and was struggling to draw breath.

"Don't stand," Sora said, propping up the back of her shoulder. He had been the one to push the timber off of her. "You're still too weak." Kairi nodded grudgingly while she still struggled to breathe and the dust cloud slowly diminished.

"Is everyone okay?" Naminé asked from somewhere to Kairi's left.

"I'm good," Max called from behind.

"I'm fine as well," Roxas said from the right.

"I'm alright," called Menelmon from somewhere above them.

"I'm okay," Riku said, sounding the closest to the ruined gates.

"Kairi's a little winded but apart from that we're both okay," Sora said. Kairi drew a ragged breath and placed one hand to her chest.

"What's going to happen?" she asked hoarsely, standing up despite Sora's best efforts to keep her down. She called her fallen blade back into her hands. Her question was answered by a sudden surge of darkness that flowed in through the open archway.

Riku and Naminé reacted first. Riku swiped with Way to the Dawn, cleaving the darkness back a little and Naminé raised Island's Fire, white light shining from its crimson tip. The light shone in the darkness and beat it back a little, but it only halted for a moment before surging forward and overcoming the light. Riku fell back before it could overcome him as well, but the darkness seemed reluctant to follow, or it had at least slowed by some power Kairi couldn't detect.

Roxas and Menelmon then moved in, the boy twirling around and slashing out with Sleeping Lion and Twilight Thorn, and the bird beating her wings and showering the darkness with icy feathers. Neither attack did much. Kairi nodded curtly to Sora and moved forward, raising her free left hand towards the darkness. A swift current of light rose from out of her platform and struck Kairi in the back. She did not even flinch as she felt the power of her light growing within her and the spot where her heart was glowed. Light billowed out of her palm towards the darkness. It suddenly reared up and deepened, trying to grow more menacing and powerful, but it was dispelled, and pushed right out through the archway.

Kairi stopped shining her light and her lips twitched into a satisfied smirk when she saw the darkness stay outside. "Why do I not feel tired?" she asked smugly.

"Because your conscious mind is down here," Naminé said uncertainly, scratching her head, "and not up there? I don't know. You just aren't."

"Good one Kai," Riku said approvingly. "You beat it back when none of us could." Kairi smiled wider and turned away from the ruined gates to see Max clapping and whistling.

"Now you shall witness my power pitiful Kairi!"

The smile dropped off of Kairi's face and her heart froze in terror when she heard that voice again. Max's own face was one of horror as well. Kairi slowly turned around again and saw the sight she had been dreading.

Maleficent was standing there, in the ruined gateway, a malevolent smile on her face.

Kairi reacted quickly with a new snarl, she wanted this witch out! She would not be possessed by this demon for who knows what purpose! She raised her hand again in anger and let her light billow out again.

Maleficent only smiled wider.

The light was about to reach the sorceress when Maleficent suddenly raised her staff and a shell of darkness blasted out of it. Kairi's light was overcome entirely by the blast. Maleficent's smile slipped into a cackle as Kairi and her party slowly fell back. Kairi unleashed another wave of light, but now Maleficent was advancing, and all behind her was swiftly dwindling into nothing but the purest black. Another dark shell pulsed from Maleficent's staff and Kairi's light seemed even feebler this time as the shell overcame it. Kairi looked to her others and nodded.

They turned tail and fled back towards the platform.

Kairi and Naminé turned as they ran and sent balls of light out of their keyblades at Maleficent, but the dark witch smothered all of them with blasts from her staff. Kairi and Naminé fled again in haste, and the girls turned their heads back, and now they saw balls of darkness heading towards them, too quickly for them to outrun. They looked at each other in the last moment before they were both struck in their backs.

They screamed in agony as the darkness touched their skin. This pain was immense to the two princesses, even if one of them was only a spirit of her true self. Kairi felt pain like knives were sticking into her in every inch of skin that the ball of darkness was touching, but the pain didn't only originate there, it was spreading across her entire body. Parts of her body that had not even been touched were now screaming in unbelievable pain.

After they had been touched, darkness rushed out from behind Maleficent and overtaken them, now it was encasing them in a cocoon of torment and pain. Kairi was screaming until it clawed up to her neck, then she clamped her mouth shut and screwed her eyes closed against the pain, letting the tears freely fall.

_It is not yet time._

And then the pain was all gone, and she was being dragged onto the platform while Maleficent screamed in rage. Kairi turned her head to look back out at the last second when a blinding light dazzled her eyes. The light formed a complete shell around the area of her platform, and she thought she saw flashes of where darkness was trying to penetrate, but for once the light was stronger than the darkness. Kairi dimly looked around her, feeling the cold sweat beading on her forehead, clothes and hair, knowing she looked like a nervous wreck, and seeing the exact reflection in Naminé as the girl lay next to her in a heap.

Kairi was about to hug her in relief when pain assailed her head and she suddenly found herself near the paopu tree. Her eyes widened in stark fear.

She was in the dream now.

* * *

Maleficent stood angrily from her chair and cursed. Kairi had escaped her and reached the deepest depths of her heart, where the light was too strong for even her to reach. But how had the girl eluded her?

Maleficent sat back down and shook her head while Diablo cawed. It didn't matter; she now had control over the princess' body. Now she'd be able to do whatever she liked to get revenge on the boy who'd killed her. And maybe she'd be able to tear an irreparable rift between them in case the girl ever managed to overcome her. Yet she highly doubted that.

* * *

Keys awoke the next morning to find that T.K. was in a hysteric panic. Tokomon had apparently gone missing overnight, and now the little boy had no clue where his friend was.

"Don't worry little bro," Matt was saying comfortingly. "We'll find him." Keys got up and moved slightly towards Takeru. He looked at Matt and the younger digidestined nodded.

"We'll find him," Keys said in determination. He turned away and moved towards Kairi, who still slept. "Kairi," he called. "Wake up. We've got a job to do." Her eye fluttered open, but before he could see their colour she had gotten up and planted her lips on his. Keys jolted back in surprise and stared at her. That was far more forward than Kairi had ever been before, and usually she would give him some kind of visual warning before a kiss. Something didn't feel quite right about the feel of her lips or the kiss itself either.

"Are you feeling a little… off today Kairi?" he asked unsteadily. The others were all watching the exchange in confusion, except for Sedah, who was smiling. Kairi's gaze turned away from Keys towards Sedah and she smiled.

"No Keys I'm fine," she said. Menelmon came up next to her and looked up at Kairi.

"Are you sure Kairi?" the bird digimon asked. "You don't seem like yourself today." Kairi sharply turned her eyes on her partner.

"I'm _fine_ Menelmon," she snapped. And without further speech she slinked out of the room with Sedah, leaving everyone puzzled.

"What just happened?" Tai asked, moving up to Keys.

"I-I don't know," Keys replied slowly. Maybe Kairi was just upset about the dream again. At least she hadn't screamed this time. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at the others. "Come on, we need to find Tokomon." He looked at Menelmon and Aiwemon and the two bird digimon moved closer to him as he went out.

They spent the next hour searching the entire village for T.K.'s lost partner, meeting up at the base of the tower where Izzy had drawn a map in the dirt with a stick and was coordinating the search. The Pagumon had offered to search by the waterfall, while Agumon stubbornly stuck to his nose and went into the forest, trying to smell him out. Tai stood on top of the tower with his pocket telescope while Biyomon, Menelmon, and Aiwemon searched from the air. Not surprisingly there were a few people who weren't searching so they wouldn't lose track of everyone, surprisingly Kairi and Sedah were part of this group and to Keys' confusion she was laughing and joking with the knight when just yesterday she said he scared her.

"Can we hurry this up?" Mimi asked as Keys walked in from the north. "I have a pedicure and a mud wash scheduled in a half an hour."

"Tokomon should know better than to interrupt your beauty treatments," Gomamon said sarcastically.

"You are so right," Mimi replied, missing the sarcasm entirely. Keys shook his head at the girl, and his heart gave a weak tug when he heard Kairi laugh at a joke Sedah had just told her.

"Tokomon's not in the north part of the village," Keys said when he reached Izzy.

"He's not in the south," Sora added as she walked in.

"He's not in the whole village," said Matt. Keys sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Aiwemon landed on his shoulder.

"I can't spot him," the bird digimon said sadly as the Pagumon came by and said he wasn't at the waterfall.

"This is bad," Izzy said. "But Tokomon's so small; he can't have gone too far."

"Maybe Agumon will have more luck in the forest," Keys wondered. His thoughts were interrupted when Tai called from above them.

"Well that's weird." Keys looked up at him.

"What is?" Tai pointed out away from the village.

"There's smoke by the river." Keys glided up into the air and hovered next to Tai, looking in the direction he was pointing.

"That isn't smoke," he said while shaking his head as he saw the plume. "It's steam."

"It must be Tokomon!" T.K. yelled.

"Or maybe it's Agumon," Izzy said. "He may have found Tokomon by the waterfall and is boiling the water as a signal."

"No really it's nothing," the Pagumon said. "We looked by the river and didn't see a thing."

"Well he could have shown up after you came back," Joe reasoned as Tai came out of the tower.

"I'm going to take a look around," he said.

"No don't do that!" the Pagumon yelled, sweat beading on their bodies.

"Chill out," Keys said. "We're just going to check it out, see if you missed anything." He looked inquiringly at the Pagumon, they were nervous about something by the waterfall, something they didn't want the digidestined to find out about.

"Just take our word for it," one of the Pagumon meekly answered. There was the ringing sound of metal and a shriek from Mimi and they all looked to see Sedah pointing his flaming sword at a small black ball with little round ears.

"That looks familiar," Keys muttered, landing on the ground once again. "Hey, Kairi and I saw that kind of digimon in Primary Village."

"What is this little squirt?" Sedah asked, inching closer with his sword. Keys couldn't answer that question, but stared at Sedah's brute sword. The flames which encircled it no longer had any darkness at their core, and there appeared to be a fleck of dry blood at the corner of blade's end.

"It's a Botamon," Tentomon said.

"But why would a Botamon be in a Pagumon village?" Palmon asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Kairi inquired.

"Botamon is the baby digimon form that digivolves into Koromon and then into Agumon," Gabumon explained. Keys looked at the Pagumon and frowned.

"I knew it," he growled, pulling out the Oblivion. The Pagumon raised their ears in fright and started leaving with a parting song.

"_It's time for us to leave here. We really hate to go. We told you this was our place now you know it isn't so."_

"Never trust anything that speaks in rhyme," Keys muttered. He pointed the Oblivion towards the steam and none needed him to say anything as they all dashed towards the river.

"Agumon!" Tai yelled when they reached the waterfall.

"Tai help me!" came a feeble cry from behind the cascading waters.

"Hold on Agumon!" Tai roared. "We're coming!" Tai went in behind the waterfall and Keys took a defensive stance in front of the rocks next to the falls.

"Agumon digivolved to, Greymon!"

Keys looked up at the falls as rocks on the roof the cave behind the falls parted and the water spewed down on two sides. Greymon stood directly underneath, and in front of him were two grey digimon that stood on their hind legs and looked a little bit like rabbits.

"Gazimon," whispered Tentomon. "On an evil scale of one to ten, ten being bad, these digimon are twelve."

"Then I guess that makes Devimon a thirty-six?" Keys asked dryly.

"Nova Blast!" Greymon's fireball struck the two Gazimon and sent them spluttering into the river. Keys smiled and shouldered his keyblade, making his way into the cave with the others. Tokomon had been locked in a cage and now T.K. was hugging his partner at their reunion. Numerous little ball-like pink digimon with bright red eyes and string-like pink ears had also been locked in cages and were now being set free. Keys assumed that these must be the Koromon.

"The Pagumon are gone," Keys said from the front as they freed the Koromon. "You can all return to your village now." The Koromon were quick to thank them, one of them even latching onto Keys' face and giving him the wettest kiss he'd ever received in his life. He could hear Kairi's laughter in before everyone else's, and after the Koromon had dropped to the ground and apologized, saying he was just so happy, Keys was willing to let it go and laughed it off a little; until an amplified voice spoke up from behind them.

"Hello."

"Oh great," Joe said as he turned around and saw the giant projection of an orange monkey digimon wearing a pair of shades and holding an electric guitar and microphone. "It's a digi-rockstar."

"There is nothing entertaining about Etemon," Tentomon said. "He has the power to control anything electronic through his dark network."

"You measly little digidestined humans. Thank you, hello."

"It's Etemon!" cried the Koromon in distress.

"You bratty kids messed up all my big beautiful plans," Etemon said, "so now I'm going to have to punish you all by playing a little number I just wrote. It's called 'Wrecking the Whole Place'!"

"Wrecking the Whole Place?" Tai asked skeptically.

"Do you think he can actually do that?" asked Izzy.

"Dark Network Concert Crush!" Etemon roared into the microphone. Keys held his footing as the ground shook beneath him, and what looked like miles of underground black cable uprooted themselves from the ground and held in the air, pulsing with red flashes of energy. Blasts came from the cables and struck the ground, destroying anything underneath whether it be tree, rock, or village building. A blast struck the river directly in front of them and Greymon stood in front of Tai, who flung himself protectively over Sora as the girl protected Biyomon.

"Digivolving time guys," Keys said, looking up at Etemon and pointing the Oblivion at the projection. "Let's take out this insult to music, Aiwemon." His partner nodded approvingly.

"Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon!"

"Gabumon digivolved to, Garurumon!"

"So you want a digivolution do you?" Etemon asked with a smugness that shook Keys slightly. "Well guess what, the answer's no!" He struck his guitar in a cacophonic chord. "Dark Network Concert Crush! Ah-hu-hu a-hu-hu!" Greymon and Garurumon roared in agony and Ohtarmon dropped his mace and clutched his helmeted head as golden light surrounded them and they shrunk back to their rookie levels.

"What the-?" Keys asked in shock as Aiwemon stood weakly in front of him.

"Hm," Kairi muttered in admiration. "He's good." Keys looked at her incredulously.

"What?" he asked. "How can you say something like that?" Aiwemon stirred weakly in front of him and Keys turned his attention towards his partner.

"Concert Crush took our power," Agumon said.

"Does rock and roll have that effect in your world?" Tentomon asked. Sora rolled her eyes.

"Only on our parents," she replied. Keys shook his head.

"Not my kind of rock," he said. "Parents love _my_ music."

"Really?" Matt asked with a raised eyebrow. "What kind is that?" Keys looked at him before glancing grimly around the cave.

"The kind we built this city on," he answered. Etemon growled and strummed on his guitar again.

"So you like the classic tunes do ya? Well here's a number one hit from the digi-past, Dark Network Concert Crush!" More blasts came from above them and the walls stated shaking as debris and one keyblade fell to the ground. The Oblivion vanished as it lay next to where Keys had fallen, moaning as he suddenly felt very weary.

"You low-life," he whispered, "You took my energy."

"Get a better insult kid," Sedah whispered quietly. "You're always being too kind."

"Ha ha!" Etemon roared as Joe knelt next to Keys to help him. "Yeah! Dark Network darling! I'm the King!" Keys looked up and gave the best smile he could.

"Elvis sucks!" he goaded in a thunderous shout. Etemon's face only got angrier.

"What!" he roared. "How dare you insult the King! Now you're going to have to pay-"

"Aha!" Keys retaliated, a look of victory on his weary face. "You admit it! You aren't the King!" Etemon dropped his guitar and microphone and his hands went up to his head.

"What? No! That's not what I meant!" Despite the situation, nearly everyone couldn't help but laugh at the monkey's expense. Nearly; Kairi and Sedah were the only ones not laughing.

"You have potential Etemon," Sedah sighed. "But it looks like he got you this time. Keyblader one, Etemon zero. Now I know why you weren't invited to the party by Malef-" he stopped when Kairi suddenly jabbed her elbow into his side not protected by armour.

"Speak nothing of that!" she hissed. If she had wanted none to notice what she and Sedah had said she was unfortunate, for even though Keys, Aiwemon, and the others were all busy trying not to get hit by falling rocks, some of them in a wearied state, Menelmon heard every word.

"Is there no way to fight this monster?" Sora asked as she helped Keys onto his feet.

"Right now? No," Aiwemon replied, getting himself onto Keys' shoulder.

"If we could only go a step further," Gabumon began, "we might have a shot at it."

"A step further?" Matt asked.

"That must be what Gennai was referring to when he told us to find the crests and the tags," Sora said as she and Joe propped Keys up. He turned his head and looked at her.

"I think it's a little late for that now," he whispered. He almost fell over again when another blast struck, except this time it hit the top of the entranceway over the cave.

"Rockslide!" Tai yelled, running away from the entrance. The Koromon all started bounding further into the cave, leading them on.

"Hurry this way!" Keys got close to Kairi and Sedah with the help of Sora and Joe, and found that they were still standing where they had stood and were not yet following the Koromon, yet preparing to reluctantly follow.

"Kairi," Keys whispered anxiously. "Do you have another ether?" Kairi turned her nose up at him and began walking away with Sedah, who was smirking at him.

"Go find your own ether," she replied coolly.

"Ouch," Joe said quietly.

"She's being very mean and rude today," Gomamon said angrily. Sedah turned his head at this comment and smiled again, only for Kairi to hit him in the side again. Menelmon reluctantly followed Kairi, but for some reason Kairi turned and gave her partner a cruel stare.

"Kairi?" Menelmon asked, genuinely frightened at Kairi's hostility.

"Leave me alone weakling," Kairi snarled. Menelmon leapt back as Kairi made threatening movements before Sedah stopped her and turned her back towards the path they were going. He leaned his head close to her and began whispering something, at which Aiwemon's head sharply rose before falling down again in weariness.

Keys looked down at Menelmon in deepest sympathy when he reached the frightened rookie. He shook off Sora and Joe's support and knelt down.

"You guys go on ahead," he said. "I'll catch up." The two humans glanced at each other before nodding and running after the others. Biyomon and Gomamon stayed for a moment by Menelmon's side.

"Don't worry Menelmon," Biyomon said, "we'll find out what's going on."

"Yeah," Gomamon added. "And when we do we'll knock some sense into Kairi. She's got no right treating you like that."

"Be careful guys," Keys whispered to them before they left to follow their partners, "I think Kairi had the dream again last night. We gave her the space she needed last time, but she hasn't had much time to sort anything out yet today." Biyomon nodded in understanding and left immediately, but Gomamon held his gaze on Keys for a second longer before hanging his head.

"Alright Keys," he said in a sigh, turning to leave. Keys didn't keep watching the digimon make their retreat, nor did he hear or feel the blasts still coming at the entrance, now buried in rock. All he saw was the frightened look on Menelmon's face as she stared off in the direction where Kairi had gone.

"Kairi?" she asked again, so quietly that Keys could barely hear her. Aiwemon hopped off of his shoulder so Keys could wrap his arms comfortingly around the little female rookie. And when he did she turned into him and wrapped her wings as far around him as they could go.

"What's wrong with her?" Menelmon asked after a long moment of silence. Keys shook his head and delicately placed her on his left shoulder while Aiwemon hopped back up onto his right.

"I don't know," he said as he stood and started walking. "But I'm going to find out before she does anything else." After a minute or so he could see everyone else standing at a dead end in the tunnel where the image of the Sun was carved into the flat rock that marked the end. Sora, Biyomon, Joe, and Gomamon were all eyeing Kairi and Sedah, but the others were staring at the Koromon or the carving on the rock.

"What is this place?" Keys asked when he arrived, before falling over again as his legs finally gave way. Sora and Matt helped him up while the Koromon answered.

"This is a safe place where we go whenever anything bad happens to our village," they explained.

"So what happens now?" Tai asked. "We're at a dead end in a blocked tunnel, we're trapped like rats." Several things then happened at once. Golden light suddenly surrounded them in a box by shining from the walls of the cave, and even behind them where there had been no wall. Tai's tag began to glow as well, and as he unfurled it from underneath his blue shirt the wall with the image of the Sun began to shrink and remove itself from its place. Kairi and Sedah both dropped to their knees, but this time no one spared them a glance as they watched the shrinking wall form into a golden-red trapezoid with the Sun's image and hover in the air in front of Tai.

"I think I know what this is," Tai said as the trapezoid flew into his tag. "A Crest." Keys looked at the goggle-headed leader while the latter bowed his head. "The Crest of Courage," he heard Tai half murmur. Tai then snapped his head up and looked outside where light was shining.

"Didn't there used to be a wall there?" Joe asked, looking across the vast landscape of beautiful wooded mountains. Birds were singing as the forest seemed to go on for miles and miles into the horizon.

"Yes but the crest must have brought us here," the Koromon answered. "These mountains are a long way from our village."

"Score!" Matt said, helping to keep Keys' shoulder up. "Keys beats Etemon in a word game and we get frequent flyer miles."

"It's so beautiful," Mimi sighed, cupping her hands to her heart. Tai raised his crest into the palm of his hand.

"With this crest," he mused, "we could do anything."

"Don't be too hasty Tai," Keys flashed back quickly. "We only have one." Tai looked at the weakened keyblade master and nodded.

"Don't worry Keys," he said; "we'll find yours and Kairi's soon enough."

"There's no rush," Kairi quickly said as she frowned while looking at the beautiful country. "We can take our time." Keys frowned at her and sighed in frustration.

"Don't you remember what happened when we fought Maleficent while fighting Devimon?" he asked. "There was no way we could win!" Kairi only smiled.

"Oh I remember," she said blissfully. Keys shook his head once more and placed one foot forward, signaling to his aides that he wanted to walk.

"Let's be careful now Keys," Matt said cautiously. "We don't want you to fall on any rocks and bring us all down with you." Keys laughed, glad for anything to lighten his mood.

"We're going to head back to our village now," the Koromon said. "Good luck everyone." Keys smiled she watched the little digimon bound away, and felt that there would always be a hope to defeat evil as long as there are those willing to help the ones who fight.

* * *

They marched forward through the woods for a good hour, and Keys was starting to feel a little better as his energy slowly returned to him. When he asked, he found that it didn't really bother the others for their need to help him walk, and that they actually enjoyed helping him in his situation. But every time he tried to talk to Kairi she scorned him and Sedah spun him away. And then it seemed to him that his heart broke when the knight laid a kiss on Kairi's cheek and she did not recoil. Menelmon walked sadly beside him whilst Aiwemon perched on his shoulder, both bird digimon's shoulders drooping every time they tried to engage Kairi in conversation. Sora, Biyomon, Joe, and Gomamon weren't having much luck either, and they stuck close to Keys, sending furtive glances down the line to Sedah and Kairi who hung as rear guard. The spirits of everyone else were high though as they moved through the beautiful woods; Tai often gazing fondly at his crest.

"You know," Sedah said. "As soon as Etemon figures out we're gone…" he left his sentence hanging and a feeling of dread suddenly engulfed everyone.

_Thanks a lot Sedah,_ Keys thought. _Just when we think we're in the clear you have to go and ruin it all. Just like you're doing to Kairi._ He glared at the knight of Wurderlond, but Tai drew his attention away.

"Etemon, Shmedemon," he said arrogantly as they walked down the mountainside and through the forest. "We've got a crest, that means Agumon can digivolve to the next level and take on that digi-jerk."

"That's true Tai," Matt said while still helping Keys to walk. "But do we really know that the crest will help Agumon to digivolve?"

"It should, shouldn't it?" Keys asked tiredly.

"Of course it will!" Tai retorted, "Right Agumon?" Agumon looked tiredly up at Tai; he was still recovering along with Gabumon, Aiwemon, and Keys from when Etemon took their energy. Uncertainty was in his eyes, as if he didn't really know either. All they had was Gennai's word, and even though that was enough for Keys and apparently Tai, it seemed as if the others were now having doubts.

Tai folded his arms and looked at his partner while they halted. "Listen buddy this is your big chance, don't let me down now. You're the only one who can digivolve further. So either you try harder and digivolve to the next level to save us from Etemon, or I'll find myself a new digimon!"

"Not much of a choice," Tentomon said.

"Whoa Tai!" Keys mumbled. "Ease up on him alright! You're putting a lot of pressure on him. In fact, you're starting to act a lot like someone I know should not be acting." He turned his head and glared at Kairi, who raised her nose into the air in defiance.

"Arg," Tai groaned before looking directly at Izzy. "By the way, how are we supposed to use the crest to digivolve again anyhow?"

"Well from what we've seen so far from the other digivolutions, it takes a lot of energy." He paused for a moment, "for example they can't digivolve if they're hungry. In addition, the partner of the digimon must be in some sort of danger, usually under attack."

"And we can't forget one more thing," Keys added. "Gennai said that the crest would only allow our digimon to digivolve further when we're demonstrating the quality within that makes our crest special and unique. Tai, I heard you murmur that yours was the crest of Courage." Tai pumped himself on the chest and started moving down through the forest again.

"No worries then," he said swiftly. "I'll provide the courage, we'll provide the food, and Etemon provides the danger. And since it's a higher level of digivolution my theory is that even more energy is required." Keys took one look at Tai, and then to Agumon, and then back to Tai, shaking his head the whole time.

"This is not going to end well," he remarked dryly, and Matt and Sora nodded their heads as they supported him and moved forwards after the leader.

Behind them, Kairi and Sedah smiled and followed.

Keys was right in feeling sympathetic for Agumon, for not fifteen minutes later Tai called for a rest just as hunger started to set in for most of the digidestined. Sora and Matt set Keys down on a log, and Aiwemon wearily hopped off of his shoulder and sat next to him. Joe and Mimi took off their packs and started laying their meal of fruit and bread out, but just as Keys was about to grab an orange Tai scooped it all into his arms and strode away with Agumon to a point further away. Keys licked his lips and his stomach rumbled as the sudden scent of fruity flesh and juice plagued his nostrils while Tai stuffed food into Agumon's mouth, giving his partner no regard for its capacity.

"That really wasn't very nice of him," Aiwemon moaned in complaint, on both accounts of watching him force Agumon to eat and taking the food away.

"Just one more teensy bite," Tai said, shoving an apple into Agumon's loaded and protesting mouth. The rookie leaned his head back plopped down onto his back, the mass overcoming him. "Stop your bellyaching and open wide," Tai whined. "You've got to keep on eating. You're the only one who can protect us from Etemon Agumon! Listen everyone's given you their food so that you could digivolve, isn't that right?"

"Yeah," Matt sighed, looking down at Tai without comprehension.

"We didn't give our food," Mimi whispered, "He took it from us. Of all the nerve."

"Well the food won't do us any good," Gabumon said tiredly, he was still recovering from the encounter with Etemon as well. "We still won't be able to digivolve if Etemon takes our power away."

"So those who don't work don't eat huh?" Joe asked dismally.

"But I'm hungry!" Tentomon moaned.

"And so am I," Sedah growled, his hand straying to the hilt of his brute sword. Tai turned his head and glared at them, and Keys returned his glare with a stoic stare of his own.

"I said is that right?" Tai asked again, louder this time. Keys waited for a hard moment before joining in with the others in their affirmative chorus. Tai turned back towards his partner and swiftly spun another article of food into his mouth.

"I guess there isn't much we can do to help," Palmon said.

"I don't think Agumon can take much more of this," Biyomon added.

"Man, Tai is really pushing him," Sora chimed in worriedly. "Agumon's stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey." Keys looked at Agumon with deepest sympathy.

"That amount of food isn't healthy for anything," he muttered. "If Tai keeps this up, Agumon will get a bad case of gout."

"Does it matter?" Kairi asked spitefully. "We can't take down Etemon anyway, so why don't we just let it go?"

"What are you trying to say Kairi?" Matt asked. "That we should just give up?" Kairi shrugged.

"We can't win," she answered. "So why bother fighting?" Keys stood and stared at her unblinkingly. He didn't waver despite the fierceness of the gaze she laid on him, nor did his weariness cause him to drop onto the ground.

"The Kairi I know would never say that," he growled. He knew her words had deeper meaning than just an Ultimate level baboon. Kairi scoffed her head ever so slightly to her right, and her eyes bore into his, and what he saw made him angrier and even more confused.

Her eyes were yellow.

"_Princess_ Kairi, Keys," she bit with her tongue. Keys felt the sting that it was intended to cause, and the knowledge that he knew she was doing this to hurt him caused more pain than the act itself.

"You haven't forced anyone to call you princess except for Captain Jack Sparrow," Keys bit back. "You aren't like that." The sound of ringing metal filled his ears and Sedah stepped between him and Kairi with his flaming sword pointed towards Keys.

"I think it's time a knight taught a little brat to show a little respect for royalty present in their midst," he warned. Keys glared at Sedah, and at his sword, but backed down.

"Sora what?" Menelmon asked wearily as Keys dropped to his seat on the log.

"Now is not the time for this battle," he said. "For one thing I don't have the strength to fight." He cast a furtive glance at Kairi and Sedah, and his heart plummeted when he saw her kissing him. He looked away, the beginnings of tears stinging his eyes.

"I don't care if he is a knight of light," he growled. "Or if I don't feel anything dark from him, he's bad news and has Kairi under some kind of spell. I know it!"

"You've got to eat up!" Tai roared at Agumon, attracting Keys' attention back to the matter at hand.

"Both Tai's and… _Princess_ Kairi's personalities have taken a turn for the worse lately," Izzy said quietly so that the aforementioned princess and her knight wouldn't hear. "I remember them both being quite nice, even to us younger kids." Sora sighed dismally.

"I know what you mean," she added. "Tai was pretty cool during soccer camp. He was a team player. He may look like he's trying to run things all by himself; but whatever crazy action he takes, he does it for the good of the team. But now all this…" she left her sentence hanging as Tai shoved more food into his partner's mouth.

"Makes sense," Keys commented. "But right now the team is hungry and only Agumon is eating," Agumon plopped down on the ground, protesting to Tai that he couldn't take any more food, "albeit poorly at that."

"Tai's personality seems to have changed ever since he got a hold of that Crest of Courage," Sora continued. Keys gave a bitter laugh.

"Not being very courageous now," he muttered. "Fighting alone in this way isn't courageous, it's suicide." His stomach gave a particularly loud grumble at this point and he felt he'd had enough of watching Agumon suffer and listen to his own stomach suffer.

"Accio orange," he said, holding out his hand. Thankfully Tai hadn't had a chance to stuff Agumon with the orange that had initially been swiped from him and it soared out of the dwindling pile placed in front of the goggle-headed leader. Tai spun around and looked at Keys as if declaring he was guilty of treason.

"Give that back right now Keys!" he yelled. "You gave it up for Agumon!" Keys calmly surveyed Tai, and was strangely comforted by the frustration he was causing the leader while he slowly peeled the orange.

"I didn't give it up Tai," he answered peacefully. "You swiped it out of my hand before I could start eating it." Tai looked to any others for support at having his leadership stolen from under his feet.

"Sora!" Tai pleaded to the girl as she sat next to Keys. Both Soras looked at each other and the male one answered.

"I'm bushed Tai," said Keys. "Etemon drained my energy, Agumon's, Aiwemon's, and Gabumon's as well. I know Agumon's the only one who can digivolve to the Ultimate level, but that as yet remains to be seen. Look at Aiwemon," he inclined his head towards his partner, who was still sitting tiredly next to him.

"He's been resting on my shoulder for the last hour and a half," Keys argued, "and he's not looking much better."

"We all need food Tai," T.K. moaned quietly.

"I'm hungry!" reiterated Tentomon.

"Yeah well the fact is guys," Tai retorted, "if Etemon shows up he'll just steal your energy again. Only Agumon will be able to protect us."

"How do you know that?" Sedah asked. "You haven't really seen me in action yet, and Olympus forbid that the keyblader is actually able to do something before that oaf saps him faster than a curse." Keys looked questioningly at the Ebunik. It felt almost like he knew this person but wasn't quite sure where.

"Idiot," Kairi muttered under her breath. Keys ignored it for the moment and bit into his orange, savouring every last fleck of juice that ran down his parched throat. The forest was quiet for a moment as everyone watched the internal struggle inside of their leader.

"Tai." The boy whipped his head around, scared at the sudden weakness in Agumon's voice. "Tai I can't eat another bite. Let the others have some food."

At last Tai relented, and everyone else was glad that they were finally able to get something edible into their bellies. Aiwemon and Gabumon improved remarkably, and Keys felt heartened as his energy returned to him. He felt as if he could take on… well he didn't feel like he could take on Maleficent just yet, but a couple thousand heartless felt right up his alley.

"Hey guys!" Joe suddenly called, lifting his tag up out of his shirt. It was glowing in a light blue radiance.

"The tag's reacting," Izzy declared. "The crest must be nearby. Huh? Hey Joe wait!" But Joe was already off, speeding down the forest path in a speed they hadn't thought possible for him. They followed in pursuit, but suddenly he fell down, like he had tripped over something. Keys caught up to him and looked down at the boy's feet, where he had tripped over a length of black cable.

_What's cable doing out here?_ He wondered, bending down to look at it. Then his mind went back to when Etemon had attacked them.

"It's Etemon's dark network!" he cried.

"Quick!" Tai yelled. "Down the path, I think I see something up ahead over the trees!"

Nothing impeded them as they ran, and sure enough the trees thinned and large stone columns sprouted out of the foliage, the path slowly became paved by cobblestones as well, and a towering arch marked the end of the forest as the road led its way out into a desert, where a monumental stone structure stood. The building was circular, with many archways in its magnificent masonry. Statues of warriors, Gods and Goddesses, and great black lions stood in many of the archways and lined the road that led straight to the building. Fountains littered the path at the entrance to the building and Keys couldn't help but notice that he'd seen architecture very similar to this on many other occasions in a particular world. They entered the building through its entrance, and after traversing a long dark corridor with a bright light at the end emerged in the center of a large oval, where stone stands went up and around the entire oval. A giant electronic scoreboard was on one side of the oval, and in the stands on the other side was what looked like a control room likening to one Keys would have normally found in a Blitz stadium. Underneath the screen was an entrance that reminded Keys of the one in Olympus Coliseum, large and dark with a spike portcullis preventing entry or exit. Large iron statues with the heads of men and open mouths hung beneath the screen as well. Inside the oval were white lines drawn in a rectangle and two giant nets at either side.

"It's amazing," Izzy said in awe. "It looks just like the Roman Coliseum."

"What's the Roman Coliseum?" Tentomon asked.

"Well Tentomon it's an ancient arena," Tai answered. Keys shook his head.

"This isn't a coliseum," he answered. Izzy looked at him in disbelief.

"What do you mean it isn't a coliseum?" he asked. In answer Keys pointed to the ground.

"Philocetes taught me this," he said. "A true coliseum has a circular bottom where gladiators, heroes, and monsters fight to the death. What we're standing in, and what Phil admitted to me as what he took for a coliseum, is a hippodrome, a racetrack for chariot races."

"Ha!" Sedah suddenly burst out. "I knew the old goat didn't have a real one." Keys looked sharply at him.

"What?" he asked. "How do you know Phil?"

"I competed in a tournament once," Sedah replied quickly, and left it at that.

"But I'm sure the ancient ones didn't have big screens," Mimi said, looking at the board.

"Or soccer goals," Sora added, looking at the nets.

"Okay everyone," Tai began. "Let's split up and search for the crest!" Just as he began to move, Agumon fell onto the ground. "Huh? What's the matter Agumon?"

"I can't move Tai," the dinosaur digimon answered. "Just let me rest for a while."

"Come on Agumon get up!" Tai said forcefully. "You can do it!"

"I can't."

"Give him a rest Tai," Joe said quietly. Tai turned around and looked at him as Joe pulled out his tag again. "The only clue we have is my tag, so Gomamon and I will search and you guys can rest here for a while." He turned and started to leave with Gomamon, but Tai insistently followed along. Keys sighed and dropped onto the ground, and then Sora moved in behind a black and white ball that had rolled into their area.

"A soccer ball!" she said, stopping it with her feet while a smile came to her face. "Hey, anyone for a game?"

"Yeah!" T.K. and Mimi said simultaneously.

"Great," Matt added. "It can be the human team playing against the digimon team." Tentomon buzzed into the air on his wings.

"What on earth is soccer?" he asked. Keys looked up kindly at the insect digimon.

"My thoughts exactly," he added. Sora looked blankly at him.

"What? You don't have soccer on your world? You're such a depraved child." Keys simply smiled and shook his head.

"Do you guys have Blitzball?" he asked back. When Sora shook her head he laughed. "Then you're the depraved ones. Ah well, how do you play soccer?"

"It's easy," Sora answered. "You use your feet to try and get this ball into the goals. You can also use your chest or your head." She then did a flip with her foot and sent the ball flying up to meet her head, where she pushed it off from. Gabumon ran to intercept the ball, winding up a kick.

"Here I go!" he yelled, striking the ball with his foot. Keys watched it soar high into the air before it fell down on Biyomon's head. It bounced off of her pink feathers and landed in Palmon's hands as the plant digimon stood behind her.

"That's really using your head," she said as Biyomon fell down onto the ground.

"Oh and I forgot to tell you," Sora giggled. "You can't use your hands."

"Unless you're the goalkeeper," T.K. said. "Then you can touch the ball with your hands."

"Yeah," Matt added. "You should be the goalie for your team Palmon." Keys stood up and made his way onto the field where the three humans had assembled. Sora looked at him, and smiled when she saw his own smile.

"This looks a lot like Blitz," he said, looking between the two nets and the field. "The lines and nets are in the exact same places, and the ball even looks kind of similar."

"Well what's Blitzball then?" Sora asked. Keys looked up into the sky and raised his palm.

"Water," he said, creating a sphere of the liquid in his hands. "It's almost exactly the same," he explained. "Except that anyone can use their hands and it's played entirely underwater."

"What?" T.K. asked. "Don't you guys need to breathe?" Keys laughed.

"Of course we do," he said. "But that's why the halves are only five minutes long, at least when my friends and I play. The pros go for thirty minutes and everytime they�run out of breath they just head to the top of the pool and take a new one.�How long are the halves in soccer?"

"Fifty minutes or so," Sora answered. "But with all the calls and cards, a ref could easily cause a half to go on for over an hour."

"Yeah, we can't do that in Blitzball," Keys answered with his hands behind his head. He swung it to one side, getting some of the hair out of his eyes and looked at Palmon with a gleam. "Alright Palmon," he said, watching her toss the ball in between each of her hands. "Bring it!"

"Alright you asked for it," Palmon replied, winding her arm back. She let fly the ball, aided by her vines, and it soared high above Keys, who was ready and waiting at center field. The ball slowly fell down towards him as the other players took the field, Kairi and Sedah abstaining, but he made no move to do anything. Palmon made it to her goal, and Izzy took his, Matt and Sora played as Keys' wings while Mimi and T.K. took defense. Gabumon faced off against him as center, Aiwemon and Tentomon on the wings, while Biyomon and Menelmon played defense. Then, the ball struck his forehead, and Keys butted it off.

The ball streaked for the ground by his feet and Keys immediately set into motion, driving past a spinning Gabumon while maintaining possession of the ball. Dribbling instantly proved to be a little more difficult than he had anticipated, but within a few moments he had a rhythm down. Aiwemon came in on a flanking maneuver, but with a quick flick of his foot Keys passed the ball over to Sora. The girl took possession of the ball and moved further up the right side of the field. Menelmon moved to intercept her from the front, but her foot slipped and she landed in a daze on her front. Sora kicked the ball up to avoid the fallen bird digimon, and spinning in the air, she sent the ball on a long pass to Matt at the other end of their offense. The ball was only halfway over when Sora crashed to the ground on Menelmon's opposite side. Matt picked up the ball with his chest and saw Biyomon preparing to crash into him while Tentomon and Gabumon were both approaching fast from the sides. He quickly spun the ball off to Keys in the center before being flattened by the rush. Keys gobbled it up with his feet and kicked the ball for the net. Palmon rushed to intercept with her hands and vines, but the ball was in the upper right corner before she could reach.

"GOAL!" an announcer's voice suddenly blared as an image of a streaming soccer ball came onto the screen. Keys pumped his fist and yelled hoarsely at his teammates, who were all rushing in on him.

"ZIGGY ZIGGY ZIGGY!" he cried, holding his hands up for slaps as Matt and Sora reached him first.

"OI OI OI!" they replied, T.K. and Mimi now reaching them as they made their way back to center en mass.

"What's the name of the game?" Keys yelled, continuing the cheer which by now had grabbed their team by the throat and would not let go until it was finished.

"The ball in the net!"

"Dun-dun-ah!"

"Charge!"

"Dun-dun-ah!"

"Charge!"

"Dun-dun-ah!"

"SUPER CHARGE!"

As soon as the cheer ended their faces split at the seams and howls of laughter erupted from the deepest depths of their lungs. The digimon were all blinking questioningly at them and glancing at each other, wondering if this was normal human behaviour. The laughter finally abated and Sora motioned for Palmon to toss the ball back to center, to which she complied, still confused by the sudden positive turn of spirits.

The ball rolled towards center, and came to rest under Keys' right foot. The boy grinned and stared at Gabumon, who was glaring back at him. He knew he wouldn't be getting past the digimon so easily this time, even if they were still green. Keys applied pressure to the toe of his shoe and flicked the ball up above his head. He let it fall down, perfectly vertical, and touch his head before it bounced directly upwards.

In what happened in an instant but seemed to be in slow motion Keys' feet left the ground and he did a back flip, nearly an insubstantial amount of time passed before his foot struck the soccer ball with monumental force. It spun towards the ground and straight for the goal at a pace none of the humans had ever seen a ball kicked before, yet it stayed above the ground on a cushion of air. The ball went right past both defensemen and straight for Palmon. She got her arms up readily, it would be easy to stop it at her level and she wouldn't let Keys score another goal, but the ball wasn't done yet. Just before she would have caught it the ball soared up and past her head.

Palmon looked behind her at the soccer ball, still spinning in the net before looking at Keys, who stood at center field with a smirk the size of the ball as the word 'GOAL' blared throughout the field yet again.

"The Sphere Shot," he said. Palmon scooped the ball out of the net and threw it back at him.

"Do that again Keys!" Sora called from his right, clearly impressed at his skill. Keys smiled as the ball rolled towards him, and also smiled at the scowl on Sedah's face. He knew that if Tidus and Wakka were here, they would absolutely love to play a few games with these guys. Another foot kicked the ball before it could reach him though and it went far into the stands.

"I can't believe you're playing soccer at a time like this!" Tai raged. "Can't you guys use your heads for something other than hitting the ball?"

"But Tai," Sora muttered in a disheartened voice, "didn't you see Keys' shot?" Tai folded his arms over his chest as Joe walked past Palmon into her net and Kairi and Sedah finally walked onto the field.

"Splendid shot Keys," Kairi said sarcastically.

"Yeah I saw it," Tai muttered, not paying the two new arrivals any attention. "Dumb show-off, but the sooner Joe finds his crest, the sooner we can leave." Keys raised an eyebrow and approached the goggle-headed leader.

"Show-off?" he asked threateningly.

"Hey Joe," Gomamon said, "you're tag is reacting again."

"Yeah I know," Joe said as he stood next to the net, "it has to be around here somewhere." Booming laughter suddenly filled the stadium, coming from the screen. Keys turned his attention towards it as it flicked on and saw two gloved white hands clapping. It then switched to Etemon, holding up a microphone and glaring at them from underneath his sunglasses.

"Who's the King?" he asked.

"I thought we'd already established that Elvis was," Keys said as he slowly backed up next to Izzy.

"If the crest is in the goal," the genius whispered, "then logically we're safer there. Remember what happened when Tai found his crest?" Keys nodded his head slightly as he slowly backed up with Izzy towards the net.

"Yeah," he answered, "he became arrogant and cocky."

"That's not quite what I meant," Izzy replied quietly. Mimi and Palmon flashed past him and Keys turned, scooping up Aiwemon and Menelmon while Kairi and Sedah were beating a brave retreat to the goal.

"Hey!" Agumon called, running in slowly from the side. "Wait for me! Oomph!" He tripped and fell over his clawed feet and landed hard on the stone.

"Agumon!" Tai called as Sora and Biyomon came in last. He looked about to run out after his partner when the net suddenly inverted and trapped them all in what had become a cage.

"GOAL!" Etemon roared as the soccer ball appeared on the screen again for the third time; then it showed him again. "I sure did it! I scored a goal!"

"This whole thing was a trap!" Tai yelled in surprise. Tentomon buzzed towards the net arrogantly.

"Does he really think he can stop us with a simple ne- _yeouch!_" Electricity coursed into the digimon and he suddenly recoiled in high-voltage pain, crashing into Tai and causing a chain reaction that sent nearly everyone onto their backsides.

"Now listen up," Etemon said in amusement. "If you do that you might get hurt. There's electricity running through that net, it's a shocker I know. Now I really wanted to be there to destroy you myself but I'm just way too busy, you know how us rock & roll legends are you know. But don't worry; the acting substitute for me is a very rare treat. Now let's see if you can put your puny little heads together and find out who our special guest star is. Well?"

"How would we know who it is?" Tai retorted.

"Fifty munny says it's going to be some kind of heartless," Keys muttered to Matt. The boy nodded his head and looked fearfully towards Etemon on the screen.

"Now I'm sure you'll all be surprised," Etemon announced as the sealed off gate opened with the grinding of metal that hadn't been moved in years. "Here he comes!" A shadowed figure stepped out through the entrance, and it was only when it stepped into the light that they knew what it was.

"It's another Greymon!" Tai yelled. Keys noted that it was, except that it had a large collar around its neck. Matt smirked at him and Keys grudgingly paid him his winnings.

"Hn," Etemon grunted with a laugh as the Greymon made its way towards them, breaking through stone walls and the other net, "I knew you'd be surprised. I'm so evil. Now let's get started it's time to go, here's the show!" Tai looked towards Agumon as the other Greymon roared from atop the other net.

"It's time to digivolve," he said. Agumon nodded and complied.

"Agumon digivolved to, Greymon!"

Both Greymon's charged each other in the center of the field, and neither appeared to be making any headway against the other.

"You can do it Greymon!" Gabumon yelled. Keys nodded and added his support, but he couldn't help but feel like a helpless cheerleader, unable to fight.

Greymon bashed his head down against his adversary's head and the collared one recoiled. Then it swung its tail into Greymon's ribs and charged again while Greymon was stunned. It butted its head up against Greymon's chin and sent their champion flying into the net. Electricity coursed into Greymon in the same way it did to Tentomon. An electric wave burst out from the point of connection, breaking Greymon's contact with the net and dropping him onto the ground.

"Come on Greymon!" Tai yelled. "You need to digivolve!" Greymon wearily raised his head and looked at the other Greymon, towering above him.

"We're done for if he can't digivolve again!" Tentomon moaned.

"No we aren't," Keys said. "He just needs some help."

"Digivolve Greymon," Tai ordered. "You've got to!" Greymon stood up and charged his adversary again.

"What was that I just said about him needing help?" Keys asked as he watched the other Greymon throw theirs to the ground and start pounding on his skull with his foot. He raised his right hand to the sky, glad that he had the energy to perform magic again. "Firaga!"

"What'd you just do?" Aiwemon asked.

"Just watch," Keys answered in grim satisfaction. Two streaking meteors of fire barreled out of the sky towards the Greymons and struck into the side of the one following Etemon's orders. Greymon took this opportunity to slash his tail into the side of his opponent and sent him flying.

"Hey that was just like my Meteor Wing attack when I'm Birdramon," Biyomon said excitedly. Keys looked down at her with a smile.

"I got the idea from you," he admitted. "Magic can take any form as long as you can envision it. Now then, any ideas for getting out of this place?"

"Well a current runs through the net," Kairi said. Keys looked at her in surprise, she was being a lot more helpful now for some reason than she had been before.

"Maybe we can short it out," Izzy wondered.

"Leave it to us," Tentomon said as he flew next to the keyblade master, "ready Keys? Super Shocker!"

"Thundaga!" The electricity struck the cage and hot white sparks flew off in all directions. Tentomon flew up into the net and screeched in pain as the power coursed back into him.

"Sorry Tentomon," Izzy apologized. "I thought that would work. The net must have some kind of monumental breaker to keep the current from shorting out after a sudden jolt."

"Then what else can we do apart from waiting for Greymon to win?" Menelmon asked, looking out of the net at the Greymons. "Because I don't think it's going to happen, he's moving slower than usual."

"He ate too much food," Sedah scoffed. "He's slower than a satyr's pickup lines." Greymon was put in a headlock as he spoke and thrown into the stands.

"We really need help!" Gomamon cried. "Marching Fishes!" Water spewed out of the mouths of the statues that were beneath the screen and multicoloured fish swam out of the water and into the air. A Gazimon had been standing above the heads with lit fireworks in his hands, and the fish promptly took the firebrands from him before pushing the Gazimon off of the statue. They flew in formation towards the aggressor Greymon, wielding their fireworks. The Greymon drew his attention towards the fish as the fire licked at his sides and followed them away.

"Where did those fish come from?" Joe asked as the Greymon chased after the fish. "How did they just come out of there like that?"

"I don't know," Gomamon answered, "but if it's not broken don't fix it."

"It's really elementary Joe," Izzy explained. "There's probably just a dimensional vortex rift in the water."

"Ditto," Gomamon agreed. Keys shook his head to clear any inkling of knowledge he might had thought he had in this area.

"Enough techno babble," he said loudly enough to attract their attention away from the fish, which had just dropped their payload and were now soaring away. "Do we have a way out or not?"

"We should dig a hole and tunnel our way out," Izzy said, grabbing at one of the large stone tiles that made up the field.

"I've got a faster way, magnet!" The swirling field of attraction bloomed into existence above the net's boundaries and all the loose tiles in their cage flew up to the top of the net and held there. One still remained firmly lodged next to a black cable like the one they'd found in the forest. The image of a thick cross was etched onto the slab. Joe's tag began to glow blue again.

"Hey it's reacting again," he said, placing it down on the slab. "Maybe this rock is the crest we've been looking for." The slab suddenly glowed with an intense light blue and was then inside Joe's tag, now resting on soft earth. The ground suddenly gave way and they fell into a pit in a giant heap.

"It is my crest!" Joe said. "Yes!"

"Get off me insolent bird!" Kairi groaned as Menelmon lay over her. Menelmon turned her frightened eyes towards her partner and Keys rose to face Kairi, getting Menelmon off of the girl and placing her protectively behind him, not that there was much room to do so.

"As soon as we're out of this Menelmon," he said. "I promise to figure out what's going on." Tentomon then called from above them, indicating that he'd found a tunnel.

"You said that last time," Menelmon whispered disappointedly. Keys sighed and nodded as they began piling and shoving to get through the tunnel, Kairi and Sedah at the lead.

"I know," he whispered back. "But last time I tried to talk to her and she obviously doesn't want to do that right now. This time I'm going to go straight to her heart." Menelmon nodded and flew up to sit next to Aiwemon, who was waiting at the lip of the tunnel for Keys to crawl on up.

The tunnel was rather short, and they only had to crawl for a half a minute before they emerged outside, behind a wall on the sidelines of the soccer field where the two Greymons were now dueling in the center. But the other had their Greymon in a headlock, and was now rushing towards a partitioning wall between the field and the stands. Greymon was hurled through the wall, which provided no resistance, and smashed into the stone bleachers of the arena. Tai gripped his crest in his hands and stared angrily at the duel.

"Greymon you could win if you'd only digivolve," he snapped. Keys looked at the boy in amazement when Tai suddenly leapt onto the wall in front of them. "Greymon!"

"Tai don't!" Sora pleaded, grabbing him by his brown shorts while he crouched on the wall.

"Don't stop me!" Tai snarled. "This is my chance to make him digivolve to the next level; so please mind your own business Sora!"

"But Tai," Sora reasoned in desperation, "without a reaction from the crest there's no way for him to digivolve!" If she had hoped this would dissuade him, she was wrong. Tai only turned his head back towards Greymon, an arrogantly determined expression on his face.

"I can make him do it," he said. "Watch!" Then he stood, and leapt off the wall and started running full-tilt towards the opposing Greymon.

"What's he doing?" Matt asked. Keys looked at Aiwemon, and they both nodded.

"I know what he's doing!" he answered, jumping onto the wall. "Come on Aiwemon!"

"The other condition for digivolving is that their partner must be in danger," Izzy reiterated, "but Tai wouldn't-"

"Well he is!" Keys retorted, hopping off the wall with Aiwemon flying at his side.

"Hurry up and finish him off!" Etemon instructed from the screen, oblivious to Tai's actions. "Use your Nova Blast!" Fire started to ignite in the muzzle of the collared Greymon as he prepared to attack the one still lying limp on the stands. At that close range and with such an easy target, his aim would have been true, had his head not jerked at the last moment when Tai cried out.

"I'm not afraid of a big fake like you!" Tai roared defiantly. "Okay fire breath, come and get me!"

"Idiot kid," Sedah mumbled from the sidelines, "but I've got to admit, he's got guts."

"What do we have here?" Etemon asked. "A dope who thinks he's a superstar? You got it, now start singing your final number." The Greymon turned around and advanced a little towards Tai, smoke beginning to pour out of its mouth and nose. Tai suddenly realized that his plan may not have been such a good one after all when the flames roared out of Greymon's mouth and blasted towards him.

That's why he was lucky Keys was there to save his skin.

Only a few moments before Tai would have been incinerated into a roast digidestined Keys got in front of him and raised a reflega shield around the two with a magical intensity that a Nova Blast couldn't hope to penetrate. As the flames harmlessly broke against the shell Keys spun around with eyes burning as intensely as the fire that would have enveloped the boy.

"What are you?" he roared. "An idiot?"

"I'm getting Greymon to digivolve to the next level!" Tai retorted. Keys went up to him and looked down at the boy, and Tai stoically met his gaze.

"By being stupid?" Keys asked. "This isn't being courageous Tai, this is suicide. You can't accomplish anything by selfishly putting yourself in harm's way."

"You do it all the time," Tai reasoned. Keys' eyes gave a warning flash and Tai backed down a little.

"That's different," he said quietly. "I put myself in danger so others don't have to. I risk my own life so others can live free and safe. And I put myself in the way to protect those I care about, as I'm doing right now." The shield dropped as Tai was left to reflect on this; but as the smoke cleared and Birdramon, Garurumon, and Ohtarmon became visible through the haze, standing alongside them against Etemon's Greymon, Keys could see Tai's newfound insight wavering fast.

"Now Greymon!" Tai called again as Greymon stood, confirming Keys' suspicions. "I believe in you! You can do it Greymon, digivolve!" A burst of light came from Tai's crest for a moment and Keys had to look away from its intensity, and then the sky darkened. Keys looked beyond the Greymon in front of them towards Tai's partner, who was radiating a dark purple colour. The Oblivion appeared in Keys' hands and he slowly took a step backwards. Columns of dark purple energy descended from the sky and into Greymon, wrapped by rings of red fire. Something incredibly wrong was happening, something that shouldn't be. The columns ended and Greymon grew by gargantuan proportions. Now he was a digimon fifteen times the size of what he had been, but his appearance and presence drove fear into Keys' heart. None of his enemies had given him such fright, even Maleficent paled in comparison to the amount of evil he cold sense in this being in front of him.

His entire being had become skeletal, like an ancient dragon that had died and rotted away a thousand years ago. One long bony horn and two emerald eyes jutted out of his skull, and an orange dolphin-shaped missile was embedded in his otherwise empty ribcage. The mere ground under him moaned as the stone gave way under his massive weight. Keys took another two steps back, although that little helped to put more distance between him and the massive digimon.

"That thing is evil," he whispered, dropping further back.

"Oh no!" Tentomon cried from the sidelines. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Who is it?" Kairi asked deliciously, as if seeing the digimon was giving her the girl's wildest dreams.

"It's SkullGreymon. The mere sight of him makes other digimon tremble. He is a fully digivolved digimon, whose explosive power causes him to constantly search for battle."

"This could be very bad," Izzy theorized. "There's been some terrible mistake and he's digivolved into a horrible monster!"

"This could be bad Izzy?" Keys asked with fear tainting his voice as he continually inched backwards, giving ground to the behemoth before him. Ohtarmon and Garurumon followed his example; if _he_ was backing away, there was a legitimate cause for fear. Not that they needed much prodding themselves. Keys gave Ohtarmon a hesitant look. He doubted very much that anything had gone right with this transformation, but if this was still one possible digivolution for Greymon…

Maybe it would be better if they didn't find the crests.

Keys looked backwards at Tai, who was still standing with his mouth gaping open at SkullGreymon in horror. His eyes were inadvertently drawn to the tag and crest hanging around the boy's neck. The crest was black.

Now he truly understood, Tai had corrupted his crest's virtue, and this was the darkest digivolution to the Ultimate level possible. If and when he found his crest, Keys knew he would try his hardest to make sure that nothing of the sort came to happen to Aiwemon.

His attention was brought back to the massive skeletal digimon before him when the remaining Greymon finally broke in fright and began to flee. However two quick strides from SkullGreymon's legs made retreat for the helpless champion impossible, and a quick flick of the arm later sent the Greymon flying into the giant screen upon which Etemon watched the battle. The orange missile embedded in SkullGreymon's ribcage rocketed out and exploded against the screen. Keys had to block the violent light from the explosion with his arms but it still wasn't enough. When his sight returned, a wisp of a gasp escaped his lips to see that the entire screen, a good chunk of the surrounding stone structure, and the Greymon, had been completely vaporized into tiny particles of data.

The power this digimon contained was immense.

"All right!" Sedah boomed. "Let's get ready to rumble!" Keys didn't even pay any attention to him this time as Tai had started talking again.

"Listen to me SkullGreymon!" the leader was yelling. "If you really are Greymon's digivolved form then you can't hurt me!" Keys grabbed Tai's arm and heaved him backwards towards the others and, hopefully, safety.

"He can't hear you!" he roared, rolling out of the way to dodge a boney toe from crushing him. The stone itself cracked under the force as the earth groaned. Sparks jumped and skated across the ground from breaking cables and wires of Etemon's dark network. Garurumon leapt up at SkullGreymon to try and slow the giant down, but the skeletal arm of SkullGreymon smashed into the wolf, which tumbled back down to the ground. Birdramon's claw pierced into a bony shoulder before an equally boney tail smashed into the bird's back. Keys charged in with a roar, the Oblivion held high as Ohtarmon moved in beside him despite their fear. The need to stop SkullGreymon before he could hurt anyone was greater than the fear he imposed on them. Keys jumped high onto SkullGreymon's ankle and started swinging the Oblivion at the bone as Ohtarmon combined with him against the foot. SkullGreymon roared, but whether in pain or annoyance Keys couldn't tell. The foot he was riding on suddenly jerked, and Keys was forced to stab his sword into the bone, receiving another roar. Ohtarmon flailed with his mace from the ground as bone flew all around him and he valiantly dodged each strike made for him. A second jerk of the foot and Keys lost his grip and flew into the air. His flight was short-lived, as a skeletal fist punched him through the air into the stone stands near the other digidestined. Ohtarmon continued to flail around, wielding his cumbersome mace to try and knock the flying hands away from him. A foot came crashing down, and he raised his mace just in time to prevent being crushed. Yet despite his strength, his muscled arms bristled and locked as the full weight of the digimon bore down on him, and he knew he had precious seconds before his endurance would give out.

"Leave it to me!" Tentomon yelled, flying in front of SkullGreymon's face. "Tentomon digivolved to, Kabuterimon!" Kabuterimon flew directly past SkullGreymon's face, and the ultimate followed it. Ohtarmon dropped his mace in relief as the pressure came off and he heaved a shaking hand to remove some of the sweat pouring down from under his sweaty helmet.

Keys got up out of the crater that his impact had made and looked himself over, scarcely surprised by the other digidestined's surprise. A few bruises, cuts and scrapes, nothing too critical; but his chest majorly hurt from that punch and it would take a while to recover his wind. His eyes instantly sought out Kairi, but she was looking away from him in indifference. He scowled and tried to shove past the group, but his lack of air caught up to him and he dropped to the ground. Joe and Sora were instantly there to support him and he coughed. There were gasps and Keys brought his hand in front of him as he coughed again. It was barely discernable against the black of the fingerless glove that cloaked his palm, but there was no mistaking the shining crimson on his fingers.

He was hacking out blood.

* * *

_LONGEST FREAKING CHAPTER I'VE DONE SO FAR, AND YES IT'S A CLIFFANGER! Kill me if you wish, but that's just the way the story goes. The next two should hopefully be shorter._

_The Patriots should have won the Super Bowl. I had a dollar in an almost forty dollar pot saying that they'd win with a game score of 42. I would have never thought of Giants-31._

_And let the screams of "WHAT IS HAPPENING TO KAIRI?" commence…_

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


	39. Revelations

_A lengthy chapter once again is upon you. Still hoping you guys can forgive the wait but there is a system currently going for updating in a sadistic way. And said system has failed. I meant to update on Sunday the 24__th__ of February with this chapter and on March 4__th__ for the final chapter. However since I passed the deadline for this chapter, the final one will not be posted on the anniversary of this fic… which is around today (4th of March)._

_Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form, pretend to acknowledge that I own Kingdom Hearts, or Disney, or anything else.

* * *

_

**The Beginning**

Chapter XXXIX: Revelations

The smile that had been plastered across Maleficent's face since she had entered her trance quickly vanished from her visage. Through the deep meditation she had subjected herself to, causing her to forgo necessary acts of life such as eating and drinking, she was in complete control of the young princess of heart's body. However, she had quickly realized that she was not in _complete_ control of the girl. Her consciousness, personality and her own virtues had escaped her, and all Maleficent was left with was Kairi's subconscious mind and body. None of the girl's abilities, magic, or keyblade were open to her, as Kairi alone knew how to control them. The witch had access to her memories, but the method of using them to her advantage escaped her. Normally this would have not been a problem, but in this instance it was.

Her primary goal for controlling the girl's body was to extract her revenge upon Sora, that pesky fly who had been a thorn in her side and her one-time bane. But now said master of the keyblade was dying, and not by her hand! She had principles to uphold, and it would be less pleasing to kill the boy or break his fragile heart when he was already wounded.

Maleficent scowled while her eyes remained closed, seeing from Kairi's. There was nothing she'd be able to do in this state to, loathing the action, _save_ the poor boy from his fate. An internal injury could not be repaired by what little tools Joe had at his disposal, and she suspected, a slight smirk breaking through her scowl, that she'd already caused enough damage to his heart that he might be unable to case a cure spell to heal himself. She knew what was required to cast the spell, having sifted through the memories held within Kairi's subconscious mind, but in this form she was once again unable to utilize them.

Kairi was effectively nullified to a walking, talking puppet while she possessed her.

She had little faith in Sir Sedah either. He may truly be a god, but masked as he was and given his own inherent powers the 'Ebunik' was a creature of destruction, not healing. His powers of light, Maleficent had explained to him, could be conceived by manipulating darkness so that it was no longer in an area, giving the appearance of light.

And from what she had seen of the digimon; well, her attitudes towards the partner of the one she had possessed expressed her opinions plain enough. But she did have to admit, if she could presently be in the digital world to turn SkullGreymon into a heartless, she would in a heartbeat. But no, at the moment she could do nothing, nothing but watch through Kairi's eyes as Sora was slowly dying in front of her.

She watched as Sora coughed again, and more blood leaked from his mouth as he now doubled over onto the ground while Joe, the other Sora, and Matt came to his side in a vain attempt to try and help.

Then an unexpected twinge happened inside of the girl under her control.

Maleficent's golden eyes widened from underneath her eyelids. She was feeling _concern_ for him from the darkness that now controlled the girl. It was not in the nature of pure unaltered darkness to have any emotion or purpose besides destruction and hatred, let alone compassion and love. She pondered how this could have been so.

Sora coughed again, and seemed to be incapable of speech from the beating he had sustained. Kairi's eyes saw Menelmon look up anxiously at her before darting back to Sora. Kabuterimon crashed into the stone nearby.

But then, maybe some part of Kairi had become attached to the darkness when it had nearly suffocated her, when it had nearly encased her in her torment. That must be it. That was how she'd be able to keep Sora alive and healthy long enough for her to kill him personally. But she must proceed with the utmost caution, if Maleficent gave too much of Kairi back, then the girl might be able to gain a foothold and fight back; and maybe even win. It sent an unpleasant chill down her spine.

* * *

Keys gasped sharply before hacking again, more of his precious blood staining his hands and the stone ground underneath him. He didn't know what was wrong, but the pain in his front had intensified when he had tried moving that first time. Now it was sharp, and he couldn't identify exactly where the pain was. But if he had to guess, he'd cracked, possibly broken, a few ribs.

His vision was clouding from the extreme pain, his head swimming. Soon he had to close his eyes while his ears roared with sound that almost was not there. Even the most minute sound was a cascade in his mind.

And the sound of Kabuterimon crashing into the stands was equivalent to that of an atomic explosion.

The pain surged and flashed, and Keys tried his best to cast a cure spell upon himself, but he found himself unable to concentrate enough through the pain to heal anything. The sound was deafening in the darkness. Sedah's chants of how entertaining everything was did not help either.

The pain suddenly lessened, and he felt warmth circling his body. Pain surged as his ribs tweaked around a little and Keys felt close to faint while he retched in a reaction. In sheer determination of will he raised his head and opened his eyes. They looked away from the small pool of vomit and blood underneath him and towards the one closest to him. Kairi was kneeling there, the faintest traces of green around the tips of her fingers as her cure spell ended. Her eyes were closed in her concentration, but they were slowly opening as Keys' were slowly fading into blackness.

He thought he saw a flash of blue, then he saw no more.

* * *

Kairi was on all fours, panting on the stained-glass platform that she had made her refuge. For hours she had been tormented by the haunting dream, always fluid and ever changing. No two renditions were ever the same, except for one thing. At the end of every cycle, Sora would always lose his left arm at her hands. She had always returned to her platform after every rendition and every time the spirits had flocked to her in an attempt to comfort her, but she always sent them away, self-conscious.

This time though, Naminé stayed with her arms around Kairi's shoulders, and nothing the girl could say would turn her away.

"No Kairi," Naminé said. "I know this is hurting you, let me help."

"I need to deal with this on my own Naminé," Kairi replied quietly, her voice not carrying the conviction she felt. "This dream is my burden." Naminé shook her head and knelt closer, laying her head down on the other girl's shoulders. Kairi felt the soft moist breath of the spirit on her cheek, and despite her own feelings, she did feel comforted in the girl's presence.

"You don't need to be alone Kairi," Naminé replied quietly. "You say I'm like a sister to you, well let me _be_ your sister. Let me share in your pains and joys, allow me to help you when you don't want help from anyone, not even Sora. Kairi; let me be here for you. Let me give you a shoulder to cry on when the tears come." Kairi suddenly relented to the girl's requests, and wrapped her arms around Naminé's shoulders. Naminé was taken aback by the suddenness of Kairi's actions and fell onto the ground next to her. A moment of quiet swiftly passed before Kairi broke it with a laugh, nearly silent tears streaming down her cheeks despite the laugh.

"You already are my sister Naminé," she laughed, plopping herself overtop of the girl, giving no notice to the tears staining her face. Naminé groaned slightly from the added weight, but her groan quickly changed into a laugh as well. She shifted around and caught Kairi in a fierce hug, to which the other twin returned earnestly.

Naminé began stroking Kairi's back comfortingly as her laughs died into sobs and the poor girl poured her heart out to Naminé. Her fears about the dream she'd kept going through over and over again, her questions as to why it was never the same, her fears about Sedah from the moment she'd laid eyes on him. Then she gasped.

"How could I be so stupid?!" she cried. "Sedah's the one in my dream who keeps morphing into Hades! We've been travelling with a powerful ally of Maleficent's for over a day now! It makes sense now, he must have done something when we were fighting."

"The wound!" Naminé said quickly. "He nicked you with his sword. That was when the darkness entered your body." Kairi released Naminé and began pacing around her platform. What she had taken before as her refuge she now saw as her prison.

"It all works out," Kairi raged after a small time of pacing. "'Sedah' is simply 'Hades' spelt backwards; the same with 'Sonork', 'Nodiesop', and 'Suez'. 'Kronos', 'Poseidon', and 'Zeus'."

"And 'Wurderlond' is an anagram of 'Underworld'," Naminé added, catching Kairi's drift. Kairi nodded and shook her head at the same time.

"Yes, but I don't know where 'Ebunik' and 'Grascora' come from," Kairi said, still pacing. She stomped her foot, hard enough that Naminé could feel the tremor. "Erg! Why couldn't I sense that he was so dark?!"

_Because you are not yet at your full power._

Kairi and Naminé whipped around, their eyes immediately searching for the location of the voice. It didn't sound harsh, like Maleficent's, more flowing and gentle, but it also somehow sounded familiar. The two looked up, to where a bright star of light was shining. The star was slowly descending, and Kairi was gradually able to discern a woman standing, floating rather, in the midst of the light. She had flowing blonde hair that fanned out past her cheeks and shoulders, and wore robes entirely of white. Within her right hand rested an ivory staff, intricately carved in a pattern of what could be interpreted as flowing shafts of light, curling and crisscrossing around and around a hollow core, from which pure light shone, while still striking a steady path upwards towards the top. A white orb rested there, and from it starlight gleamed. The star touched down and the woman raised her head, light billowing all around them. Light shone from her azure eyes as she gazed down at the two princesses.

Kairi immediately dropped to her knees and bowed her head in reverence, not quite knowing why she was doing so. Something about this woman made the action seem right. The blonde next to her reacted differently.

"Kairi?" Naminé asked, her head swiveling between Kairi and the woman. Kairi opened her eyes and looked up at her sister. Her face shifted into one of surprise when she saw that Naminé was no longer in her now usual attire, and instead was wearing a turquoise paper dress.

"Sister," Kairi asked, "what are you wearing?" Naminé balked.

"So we really are sisters then?" she asked. Kairi blinked.

"Didn't I just go through this with your spirit on my platform?" she asked.

"You are no longer within your heart Princess," the woman spoke, her voice echoing very slightly. Kairi looked down, and saw that she was no longer upon her platform; instead the three were on another. A bright star of light shone in the center of the circle, imposed over a blue background. Gold circled around the edge of the platform. Kairi and Naminé both drew their attention towards the woman, who smiled kindly at the two of them.

"_Haverash Cournir et Kírië_," the woman spoke. Her smile widened at the confused looks on the faces of the two girl's in front of her. "Greetings Princesses of Light," she translated. "I am Thessaura, Goddess of Light and Healing of the Ancient Pantheon, the oldest of the gods of the Universe." Naminé dropped to her knees now in reverence and bowed her head as Kairi did the same again. The divine presence of the Goddess permeated through them, filling their hearts with feelings of inadequacy.

But Thessaura had other plans; almost silently she strode towards the two princesses and placed her hands on their heads, her staff hovering in the air beside her. Kairi looked up at the warm and gentle touch on her forehead, and the hand slid down to rest on her chin.

"Rise Kairi and Naminé," Thessaura said. "Rise, twin princesses of heart and of Radiant Garden, and stand before me." The two humbly obeyed and stood side-by-side, staring speechless in awe at the deity that stood before them.

"Consider yourselves blessed," Thessaura addressed them. "You two are the first mortals to see my true form in an age." The two did not answer, as the innate power that emanated from the deity was a greater power of good than either of them had ever felt. Finally, Kairi gained the courage to speak.

"Great Thessaura," she ventured to ask. "Who are you?" The goddess turned her gaze upon Kairi, and the princess wilted.

"Do not be afraid of me Kairi," Thessaura said. "For I am the goddess of light, my handmaidens should not fear their patron deity."

"Handmaidens?" Naminé asked quietly. Thessaura nodded.

"The princesses of heart and wielders of the keyblade in the realm of light have always served my will, by their knowledge or no. Their hearts have guided them to serve the light." Thessaura then sighed as she looked at Kairi.

"And what about now?" Kairi asked. "Thessaura, what is happening to me?" Naminé looked at her sister.

"Kairi," she asked, "what are you talking about?"

"Darkness has overtaken your body dear Kairi," Thessaura said, "As I'm sure you know. I am the one who protects your heart from the darkness, and while I keep my wards up it shall not fall. Not even to the power of Maleficent."

"But what does Maleficent want with possessing me?" Kairi asked.

"I would have believed Maleficent's intentions are clear," Thessaura said. "She knows that the two of you are in love, and she despises Sora for her first death. Maleficent is using your body to drive a wedge between the two of you to break Sora's heart, and as long as you are shut within your heart, you are her prisoner."

"So," Kairi growled, raising her hands to the sky. "I'm a damsel in distress again! This is the third freaking time Sora's enemies have used me to get at him! Why won't the just leave us alone? Or better yet, why don't we just fight them off so they _will_?" Thessaura smiled at Kairi.

"You have a stout heart Kairi, but you are yet too weak to fight against her with hope, and now is not the time for you to pass from this plane of existence."

"What do you mean?" Kairi pressed in a confused tone.

"You must first ascend," said Thessaura. "Only after your ascension will you have full mastery of light, and the power to defeat Maleficent. But for total victory against her a great sacrifice must be made. The first step of your ascension will be to regain that which you have lost."

"My body?" Kairi asked. Thessaura shook her head.

"It is up to you to determine what you have lost, and how to say goodbye."

"Wait," Naminé interjected. Kairi and Thessaura both looked at her and Naminé faced her sister, her hands on her hips. "Kairi, what do you both mean by possession and your body?"

"Maleficent has taken control of my body," Kairi said. "And I'm being confined to my heart, and forced to go through a hellish nightmare over and over again, and it's never the same."

"It is the future," Thessaura said, stunning Kairi. "And like the future, certain things are set in stone, while the rest remains ever fluid. Not even I can predict the course of the battle you shall fight, only certain certainties that will occur. It is fated that Sora will lose his arm at your hand, and it is fated that you are to perform the greatest deed in history up to that point."

"Let me guess," Kairi said quietly, the knowledge that she could not escape cutting off Sora's arm causing her disquiet. "I am the one the prophecy refers to. I am the mother of the child who will destroy evil forever." Thessaura shook her head, and when she next spoke her tone seemed almost sad.

"No, Kairi," she said. "You are not the one the prophecy of Shankela refers to."

"I will say no more," Thessaura last spoke. "But the dream that you go through Kairi is also necessary for your ascension. I shall return the two of you to your bodies. The time of ascension is swiftly approaching. _Nalkesh Cournir et Kírië_." Light wrapped around Kairi, and the next moment she found herself back on her own platform. The spirits were all out and rushing about, which was saying a lot concerning the small amount of space on the platform.

"Kairi you're back!" Naminé cried, quickly running up to her. "Maleficent has weakened her hold! We can fight back!" Kairi smiled.

* * *

Keys slowly sifted through the blackness between asleep and awake, conscious of very little apart from that the pain in his chest was mostly gone. His back and head were also comforted, and he didn't know why. It felt like he was on a bed, with his head resting against a soft, down-filled pillow. He was almost about to open his eyes when he felt something on his cheek. It was the back of a hand; gently caressing his cheek as he lay down on what he now knew had to be a bed. He knew in an instant that it was Kairi's. But despite the soothing feeling it gave him, more questions popped into his mind that forced his consciousness away from the bliss of half-dream to awake.

How had he gotten onto the bed? And if Kairi was being so cruel to him and was possibly possessed, why was she now lovingly caressing him? And why did her hand feel so cold? He dove into his mind, searching for answers.

Keys now stood upon his platform, and immediately looked towards the blue heart that held the spirit of Kairi within it, before feeling pain in his chest and dropping down to his knees. He hated to admit it, but even though it was less intense than before it would still give him some trouble should there be any fighting. The spirit of Kairi emerged and went straight to him, placing her arms around his shoulders.

"What is going on with Kairi?" Keys asked through gritted teeth. Kairi shook her head.

"I don't know Sora," she said sadly. "I haven't been feeling anything from her since last night. It's like she's wrapped a veil around herself that I can't see through." Keys sighed and raised his head to look at Kairi. Her auburn hair almost seemed to shine to his eyes and her skin seemed radiant. Kairi suddenly tensed and she withdrew from him.

"No Sora," she said. "I can't let you do that." Keys raised his eyebrows.

"Do what?" he asked. The spirit shook her head.

"I'm not real. I can't be a substitute for Kairi."

"But you are Kairi," Keys protested. Kairi fell back a few more steps to stand upon her heart, where a light started to glow.

"I'm sorry I can't soothe your aching heart Sora," she said as the light engulfed her. The next moment, she was gone. Keys shook his head almost in disbelief before he dropped out of his mind.

He kept his eyes welded shut as he felt the bed and pillow beneath him again. That journey had been almost pointless, he had discovered next to nothing about Kairi's condition. All he knew was that she had erected a barrier around her heart. And what was worse, the spirit of his love had spurned him. The caress of the back of Kairi's hand on his cheek did nothing to settle his nerves; nor did the breath on the back of his neck, until she spoke.

"Open your eyes you lazy bum," Kairi said softly, her voice ringing with a certain note that Keys couldn't decipher. "I know you're awake." Keys slowly opened his eyes and rolled over. Had she said anything else he wouldn't have acted. But she had called him a 'lazy bum', that was _Kairi's_ special nickname for him, only she would call him that. His eyes caught hers, surprisingly close, and just above her cute nose. He almost laughed and considered jokingly telling Kairi that she had a small pimple on the side of her nose, but then his brain registered something truly important and his eyes slid back to hers.

They were blue. Not yellow, blue.

"Kairi?" he ventured to ask. Kairi smiled and sniffed slightly as the beginnings of tears laced her eyes. Her arms suddenly flew around his neck, the pendant he gave her clinking against his near-identical one. Keys didn't move in shock. The skin on her arms felt so clammy and sticky that it didn't make sense.

"It's me Sora," Kairi said quietly, her head leaning against his shoulder. "I've missed you so much." Keys gently placed his hands against Kairi's cold cheeks and softly drew her back so he could look in her eyes again.

"Missed?" he asked, hoping that now he'd get the answers he was looking for. Kairi nodded her head and then quickly turned her head away and sneezed. Sweat was beading on her head and she was shivering. The need for answers was replaced by concern for his love. "Kairi you're sick! Here, get under the covers and warm up." He raised the corner of the red comforter and Kairi nodded gratefully, shivering.

"So cold…" she muttered as she squirmed to get underneath the blankets. Keys wrapped his arms around her; it didn't make any sense for Kairi to be so sick and cold. As far as he knew they were still in a blistering hot desert.

"The darkness in me…" Kairi said weakly after a time of silence, which had done little to comfort Keys' nerves.

"The darkness?" Keys asked, startled. Kairi was a Princess of Heart; she had no darkness within her!

"It's making me sick," Kairi finished, adding in a cough at the end. She shivered and drew further into the blankets. "It's so foreign… I don't know why I didn't feel it before. I was just tired then… it had to have grown. Now it's probably taken root."

"Kairi what are you talking about?"

"I haven't been in control of my body since the night in the Pagumon village," she answered. "I've been confined to my heart."

"What?" Keys asked, then. "I knew it! I knew you weren't in control. You weren't acting like yourself. And your eyes had been yellow." Kairi gently shushed him by placing a finger to his lips. Her fingers were quivering even more.

"I probably don't have much time Sora," Kairi said quietly. "I'm starting to lose control to her again. I'm sorry for any pain I have or might cause. Take care of Menelmon for me, for some reason she's scared of me. I don't know what I'd do if either of you were gone." Keys opened his mouth to speak again but Kairi beat back his words. "You never had much light in your heart Sora, and I can see that your heart darkens with every step into despair you take."

"If I can't win control of my body," she said at last, her whole body starting to tremble now as her voice began shaking. "Let go Sora. Release your heart and find someone new. Let me go as a fond memory."

"But Kairi," Keys tried to speak. She suddenly jerked and leaned closer to him, their noses almost touching from underneath the blankets.

"Do it Sora," she said pleadingly. "As a final order from a princess to her guardian knight, let your heart be free." Keys' eyes held a fear that before had been unknown to him, but he nodded his head in the most minute way, almost in shock. Auron had once asked him if he needed a guardian, and he supposed that he was Kairi's, but she had called him her knight too. Kairi almost seemed to relax and her shaking lessened for a moment. She was rallying herself for one final act.

"And always know this," she said, her teeth almost gritted as she fought back in an internal battle. "Whatever becomes of my body, I love you." Her mouth closed the distance between them instantaneously in a final kiss. Keys was stunned for a slightest of moments, and then he fell into it.

His arms were just starting to move towards her shoulders from her back when Kairi started squirming. Her teeth bit into his lip and Keys recoiled, his tongue feeling the warm blood trickling down from the bite. He opened his eyes and saw Kairi's eyes filled with a yellow hate that made his heart plummet in despair.

"Lecher!" Kairi screeched, trying to withdraw her body from their close proximity. But she was unable to jerk her head away, for a chain restrained her.

The two crown pendants were interlocked.

Kairi snarled and tried to break free, straining with all her might. The chain shattered and the pink crown fell limply onto Keys' chest, sitting slightly over of his silver one. Kairi threw the covers off and stormed out of the room, leaving him to gape open-mouthed at her exit.

_Well that sure explains it all. Someone has control of Kairi, and she still lives!_ Keys lolled his head around in despair, trying to take in his surroundings and piece together what all had happened. Aiwemon and Menelmon walked in through the open door, each of them looking behind them worriedly. Aiwemon's talons clattered on the wooden floor and he hopped up onto the bed. The small bird digimon wrapped a wing around Keys' head and brushed his own against the other cheek.

"You're okay Sora," he said. "We were all worried about you, except for Sedah, but Kairi sent us out of the room."

"Gomamon thought that she was going to kill you," Menelmon added sadly, hopping up next to Aiwemon. Keys shook his head.

"No," he answered, his fingers picking up the sliver-rose pendant that had broken off of Kairi's neck. "She told me what was wrong with her, and then she said that she loved me." Keys let a tear fall down his face.

"So what's wrong?" Aiwemon asked.

Keys didn't answer right away, he held onto the pendant he given Kairi for her sixteenth birthday. That day nearly two weeks previous had been full of chilling surprises and uncovered truths. That had been the day they had learned that his mother, and those Kairi had called mother and father had died. He was supposed to have lost his heart to Maleficent on that day, but instead they had escaped, and become separated. And despite all the pain and sadness that had befallen them on that day, and the revealed prophecy, when they finally came together again she had not left him and he had found that he could not leave her. He found then that he loved her even more, and took up the promise that they'd made with even greater resolve. That he'd never lose her.

And now here he was, losing the love of his life, and he could do nothing but hope that she would be able to fight off whoever it was that was controlling her. But his heart sunk, the '_her'_ Kairi had referred to when she was still herself had to be Maleficent. And he doubted Kairi would be able to win without serious help. Help he could not give, for he would not hurt Kairi even if it was the only way to drive Maleficent out. To see her in pain was unimaginably worse than seeing her with someone else.

"She's being possessed by Maleficent," he answered at last.

"What can we do to help her?" Menelmon asked fearfully.

"What can we do?" Keys repeated sadly, pocketing the pendant. He looked at Menelmon and sighed. "Kairi told me to take care of you Menelmon, but at least until she is able to win control again." Menelmon nodded and Keys placed an arm against her shoulder in comfort.

"By the way," he asked. "Where are we?"

"Oh that," Aiwemon said quickly, their grief dropping with the need to explain. "We're aboard a cruise ship, and sailing across the dunes of a desert." Keys raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"After Kairi healed you and you passed out," explained Menelmon, "SkullGreymon broke his way out of the stadium, and then he lost all his energy and de-digivolved back into Koromon. Ohtarmon carried you with us for a while, and Kairi never left your side. At the time I thought it was strange. Gennai then showed up in another transmission and told us that we digimon weren't being cared for right. Then this cruise ship sailed up to us, and Mimi swayed the Numemon on board to let us up. We got you into this room and Kairi sent us all away, saying that she'd watch over you." Keys nodded.

"Okay, all makes sense, apart from why a cruise ship is sailing in a desert. What are Numemon? Wait, we aren't taking proper care of you guys?"

"Apparently not," Menelmon said sadly. "Otherwise Agumon wouldn't have digivolved the way he did. And I know Kairi hasn't been very-"

"Enough about Kairi," Keys interrupted. "It isn't her fault that she's being possessed and there's nothing we can do about it! What are Numemon?"

"They're really disgusting, slimy, smelly digimon," Aiwemon said, shying his beak away. "A large group attacked us once in the sewers on File Island before you and Kairi arrived. But the Numemon here smell a little better." Keys inhaled deeply through his nose, and he immediately gagged.

"Smell like that?" he asked thickly. Aiwemon and Menelmon both raised their heads and looked towards the door, where squelching sounds were starting to drift through.

"Yes," Menelmon said. "I wonder why they're coming here." Keys pulled the red sheets back and winced. He wasn't a hundred percent, but if there was going to be a fight, he would not be left behind. A few moments later several digimon slid into the room. They were completely green, large round spots dotting their slimy bodies. Two slender stalks held up their eyes and they had no feet, sliding around like flans. Keys had only seen a flan once; on an outing their class had had years ago onto another island. He hadn't been hurt, and neither had Kairi, since she followed him when he went off 'exploring' for a few minutes, but the experience of almost getting hit by a water spell for the first time was more than enough to give a healthy respect for that kind of creature. The Numemon were peculiarly dressed in white and blue sailor outfits.

"There they are," one of them said. "The Captain wants the digidestined." The Oblivion appeared in Keys' right hand.

"You won't take me," he growled, Aiwemon's eyes glowing blue beside him.

"Keen Sight!" he yelled, firing blue blasts at the Numemon. Menelmon flapped her wings and took into the air beside the bed.

"Ice Feathers!" she cried, sending her icy down upon them. The Numemon howled as they were stunned by the attacks and Keys leapt off the bed, only to drop to his knees for a moment as pain flared in his chest. He ignored it after it arose, and slashed out against a Numemon. The digimon roared in pain and fell back through the door. Keys smiled grimly as the others retreated and Aiwemon and Menelmon fell in behind him.

"You okay?" Aiwemon asked in concern. Keys nodded.

"I'll live," he replied. "I've been through worse. But we'd better find the others." The two bird digimon nodded and the three moved out into the hallway.

"Aha!' a gruff voice called out to their right. Keys turned his head and would have laughed had he not thought that laughing could crack another rib. A five foot high white bird was standing before him, its resemblance to a chicken clearly evident. A plume of tail feathers rose up from behind it in a fan pattern, the tips of the feathers contrasting the white with red. And a Mohawk of blue feathers spiked up on his head.

"It's Kokatorimon!" announced the two far smaller bird digimon at Keys' back, though they pronounced it 'Cockatrimon'.

"Kokatorimon?" Keys asked, looking at the digimon in disbelief for a second. Then his face fell into a grim expression and he glared at the digimon. "Looks more like a Cluckatrice than a Cockatrice." Kokatorimon cawed at him.

"How dare you insult me!" he yelled, his red eyes starting to glow green. "Petra Fire!" A green beam shot out of his eyes towards the group of three. Keys dodged out of the way, and Menelmon beat her way higher above the floor to evade, but Aiwemon had tried to follow Keys in the dodge and was hit by the blast. Keys whipped around as the bird gave a cry, and his heart froze as hard as the poor digimon that he called his partner. Aiwemon had been turned to stone.

"No!" Keys roared. "Aiwemon!"

"You'll pay for that Kokatorimon!" Menelmon hissed. "Ice Feathers!" Kokatorimon held one wing back to shield him from the barrage.

For the second time Keys felt like his world was turning upside down. His mind reeled, trying to remember any spell that might had even been mentioned in passing to him that could undo stone and bring back flesh. But his mind came up blank.

"Keys we have to go!" Menelmon cried, swooping down and landing on his shoulder. Tears stung his eyes again as he nodded bitterly and dashed down the hallway, away from Kokatorimon. He didn't notice the pain in his chest, his clouding vision, not even where he was going. The only thing that surged was the pain in his heart. He didn't know if he could take much more of this.

"Keys!" He swiveled his head and shook the salty tears from his eyes. Sora and Mimi were standing in the hall on the starboard side of the ship's deck. They were soaking wet with only white a towel wrapped around each of their bodies and their digivices in their only free hand, as the towels were held up by the other. Biyomon and Palmon stood protectively next to them. The note in Sora's voice indicated that she was afraid, embarrassed, and glad to see him all at once. Keys shook his head as he approached them and almost let a chuckle escape his lips.

"I may or may not have a girlfriend at the moment," he said warmly. "But that's neither here nor there. I'm not going to take advantage of your position. I have morals. And I won't peek!" Sora and Mimi sighed in relief, and then Sora caught herself.

"I didn't mean it that way Keys," she quickly spluttered.

"Menelmon," Biyomon suddenly asked, seeing the subdued bird digimon. "Where's Aiwemon?" Menelmon and Keys hung their heads in grief.

"He's been turned into stone," Keys said quietly.

"Aha! Now I've got you, you little chickadees!" Keys whipped his head around and saw Kokatorimon standing about fifteen feet behind them. There was something different about him now. Two tags were hanging from the feathers on the tips of his wings.

"It's Kokatorimon!" cried Biyomon and Palmon.

"And look!" Mimi said. "That omelet-head has Tai and Joe's crests!" Kokatorimon cawed at them, and Keys let a growl escape his lips.

"You'll pay for what you've done to Aiwemon!" he roared.

"Don't thank me yet kiddo," Kokatorimon taunted gleefully. "You haven't heard all that I've done." Keys' eyes opened wider. "I ran into several of your friends over by the pool but, don't get your heads into a spin; they're just drying off. Nothing like little sun-baked faces, fried to a crisp with curly corn spuds and lots of coleslaw! That blue guy and girl didn't even try to fight back like you did kid."

"What about the digimon?" Biyomon asked.

"Don't worry about those guys," Kokatorimon answered. "Confidentially I'd say they're a little on the stiff side, but that just happens t be my personal opinion."

"You turned them to stone," Keys growled, holding the Oblivion tightly in his hands. Kokatorimon cawed.

"You've cackled once too often," Biyomon said angrily, flapping her pink wings and taking into the air, "Spiral Twister!" Green fire spiraled out from Biyomon's pink beak and barreled straight for Kokatorimon.

"I can't agree more Biyomon," Menelmon added, taking flight to hover just next to the larger rookie. "Snow Slurry!" The green fire of Biyomon's attack missed Kokatorimon as he leapt above it, but Menelmon's snow howled into him and bashed the Cluckatrice digimon away a few feet.

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon yelled, sending her vines out at Kokatorimon. Keys pointed the Oblivion at the digimon, his anger fueling the fires that were now openly swirling around it. Without a cry he sent a torrent of flame from keyblade's tip alongside Palmon's vines. Kokatorimon leapt backwards and ran further down the hall to escape from the flames and vines. Keys jerked his keyblade and motioned to the others. They took his hint and the six of them bolted down the other side of the hall towards the ship's stern.

"Come back you chickens!" Kokatorimon yelled. Keys wondered as to why he was calling _them_ chicken and glanced behind him, the pain he ignored still ripping through his chest with every beat of his heart. The Champion was giving chase. He turned his head back to concentrate on running and increased his speed with a burst of magic. At least he knew that Kairi was back to being her old, possessed, apathetic and indifferent slacker self from what Kokatorimon said.

They passed out from under the shade underneath the wings of the ship and came onto the bow, running straight for the tip of the stern. Keys stopped and turned around, his eyes glinting as Kokatorimon stopped in front of him. They had been backed into a corner, and that is when any desperate creature fights back the hardest. And the keyblade master was no different, wounded though he may be.

"Time to walk the plank," Kokatorimon growled.

"Biyomon do your stuff!" Sora ordered, holding out her digivice. The pink rookie nodded.

"Biyomon digivolved to, Birdramon!"

"Hey that's not fair!" Kokatorimon roared in outrage as Birdramon rose above him on her fiery red wings.

"Meteor Wing!" she cried, sending down a cascade of meteors wreathed in flame. Kokatorimon clumsily shuffled backwards, trying desperately to stay away from the flames. Keys quickly sprinted in, weaving through the meteors and delivered a slash against Kokatorimon's front. Kokatorimon dropped the crests he was holding in surprise and Keys slashed out again.

"What's the matter you big klutz?" Sora mocked. "Can't you fly?"

"Palmon," Mimi said quietly, holding out her digivice to her partner, "it's your turn."

"Right," Palmon agreed. "Palmon digivolved to, Togemon!"

"Meteor Wing!" Keys ducked low and slid back in a retreat away from Kokatorimon, grabbing the fallen crests as he did so. The large chicken shied away from the flames again and Keys made it back to the girls unscathed. Togemon moved in front of Keys protectively while Menelmon stood aside Sora and Mimi.

"How's about a little Needle Spray!" Togemon yelled, flinging her needles off of her cactus body at Kokatorimon. The large flightless bird digimon wrapped one wing around his body, though it quickly began looking like a pincushion. Togemon stopped her needle barrage and rushed up to Kokatorimon. She threw an uppercut with her right fist and a crack sounded as the red boxing glove made contact with Kokatorimon's beak. The bird flew into the air and arched down into the nearest smokestack of the luxury liner. Smoke suddenly belched out from the stack and Keys grinned slightly as the image of Kokatorimon hitting the fires that probably ran the engine.

"All right, fried chicken," Mimi said gleefully. Keys looked away from the smokestack towards the two girls, a small smile on his face.

"We'd better go find Tai and the others," he said. Sora and Mimi nodded before looking past him, their eyes glistening slightly in surprise.

"There won't be any need for that Keys," Mimi said warmly. Keys spun around slowly and saw the entire group of digidestined (plus Sedah) walking calmly towards them, and with them were…

"Aiwemon!" Keys yelled in happiness. The bird smiled at him as the digimon walked towards his partner. Keys once again ignored the pain in his chest and moved forward towards the digimon, slowly increasing in his pace. He stopped short of Aiwemon and stood staring at him in disbelief for a second, his eyes shining. He jerked his head away and rubbed his nose and eyes quickly with his right arm. When the eyes returned to Aiwemon they still shone clearly with a tangible light and his yellowing smile shone with a sudden white.

"Good to see you're alright," he said in what couldn't decide as to whether it was a laugh or a sigh of relief. Aiwemon affectionately returned the greeting with a twinkle in his green eyes.

"I wouldn't leave you like that Sora," he replied quietly. Keys stayed silently still for a moment longer before he knelt down and gave his partner a brief, but fierce hug.

The sounds and rumbling of metal crashing into the sand of the desert broke apart the quick display of emotion. Keys looked in the direction of the sound and his eyes were surprised to see dozens of white sailor outfits being flung into the air as the sludgy Numemon abandoned ship.

"I guess it's too late for a mutiny," Izzy said.

"Still," Sedah countered, "what do you say we follow their example and abandon ship shorty? Or why don't we cut a deal with Kokatorimon and take control?"

"Captain's been fried," Keys put in as Sora and Mimi quickly left the scene to put their clothes back on. "So why don't we just say that the Captain goes down with the ship?" His heart felt a slight pang as he remembered that a friend of his had done the same thing. Then Sora and Mimi returned, fully dressed, and he raised an eyebrow. "Don't girls normally take like, ages to change?"

"We're in a hurry Keys," Mimi huffed, patting her brown hair. "We can't take the time right now to make ourselves look beautiful just for you guys." Keys glanced at Kairi for half a moment.

_I know one who always looked beautiful no matter what.

* * *

_

The Sun beat down on them as they trudged through the unending sand-dunes, and now that there were no distractions Keys was fully aware of the pain that resurged within his body. This time Tai and Matt were helping him move along. He felt that Tai was probably doing it out of regret; he probably felt that Keys wouldn't have been hurt if he hadn't been acting the way he did. And Matt, well Matt was probably just doing it to help out a friend.

"Well the weather sure hasn't gotten any cooler," Joe muttered, wiping a hand to his sweaty brow. Keys didn't know how hot it had been when they had run into the cruise ship, but one glance at Aiwemon and Menelmon shaking their heads confirmed Joe's statement. Sedah strangely seemed to revel in the heat. Mimi and Palmon paused in front of him, and thanks to the diligence of Tai and Matt he did not run into them.

"Hey do you hear something?" Mimi asked. Keys strained his ears at her question, and the low rumbling sound of a fog horn rolled through his ears.

"The ship!" Sedah cried from the rear. "It's coming at us! Man I'd like to get to know that chicken!"

"Never mind Sir Sedah!" Kairi yelled from up front. "Just run!" Keys broke into a run, but this time the pain stayed. He didn't care for it now, as the alternative was to be crushed to an early death.

"Runrunrunrunrunrun!!" Gomamon yelled very rapidly. Keys couldn't concentrate on anything other than fleeing, and soon he had outstripped most of those he was running with despite the flaring pain that held him back.

"Look!" Palmon, the only one using legs to have kept up with him, yelled. "The giant cactus is back!" Keys opened his eyes and looked up. He stumbled slightly in shock, but then recognized that after this world, nothing should surprise him anymore. Standing tall in front of all of them was a cactus of at least eight-hundred feet. He didn't even want to hear Izzy triangulate the actual height due to its absurdity.

"Great, another mirage," Mimi moaned.

"Just get behind it!" Sedah yelled. They rounded the cactus quickly, mere moments before the ship ploughed straight into it. The abnormally large desert plant bent as the ship struck, and suddenly flipped. The cactus bent further as if rubber and the liner started to break apart as it crashed into its bent frame. The tension on the cactus caused Keys to worry that it might slice itself apart and collapse on all of them. His fears were ill-founded though, and the giant plant flipped back and flung the ship into the air, a black cable stretching from the ship.

"So Etemon's behind that ship too?" he asked, taking in short, quick breaths to try and ease the agony in his lungs. The cable snapped, and exploded in a greater conflagration than he had ever seen. Wreckage from the ship that escaped the blast blanketed the sky and rained down nearby for a few moments. The thin wail of Kokatorimon being deleted wafted through the air.

"Glad that's over," Kairi said with her hands on her hips. "He was annoying." Keys grimaced at Kairi and turned his attention instead to the gigantic cactus that had saved their hides. A bright light was glowing from its crown. The light waved and swayed into a bright pink colour as it took form. Now a lily blossom lay atop the cactus. Keys let out a sigh of awe as the flower bloomed and a gray slab rose from within its pink petals. Mimi gasped as her tag suddenly came from underneath her reddish pink shirt and hovered in the air, glowing with a green light. The slab pitched in the air, and rapidly descended towards Mimi, shrinking as it went while it too glowed green. The crest slid easily into Mimi's tag, and with one final glow the tag dropped limply onto her chest. Mimi held it in her hand and looked at the teardrop shape with two circles, one smaller than the other and inside it.

"It's the Crest of Sincerity," she declared. "I don't deserve it, but if it'll help me take care of Palmon then I'll keep it."

"Aw," Palmon said affectionately from next to her. "Thanks Mimi."

"Well," Tai spoke up quickly, looking at Keys. "We'd better get moving if we want to find the rest of the crests. Seeing the keyblade in your hands again Keys reminded me that you and Kairi have other duties to do." Keys gazed admirably at the young leader.

"Thanks Tai," he said. Tai and Agumon nodded, and this time Keys pressed off the help that anyone offered. They weren't going to be there when he and Kairi, _and probably Sedah too_, he thought, left the Digital World; so he might as well start getting used to keeping his own two feet. Who knew if Kairi would ever win herself back?

* * *

They marched haggardly for roughly another hour through the desert, all the while Keys thought that it would be nice if there would be just a little oasis like in the Pride Lands where they could rest and restock on water. Tai and Agumon walked a small ways ahead of the rest of the group, and Tai was in good spirits. They had found three crests so far all in one day, surely the rest couldn't be far behind. Keys hung back with the rest. Their slightly slower pace suited him just fine at the moment.

"It's so beautiful isn't it Joe?" Mimi said, admiring her crest. "And every crest we've found so far has been different."

"Yeah," Joe replied. "Mine's Reliability, but we need to learn how to use them."

"Or else our digimon could digivolve all messed up again right?" Sora inquired. SkullGreymon's image popped into Keys' mind and he shuddered before glancing down at Aiwemon, walking beside him.

"I don't want something of that sort to happen to any digimon again," he said. "It's too horrible." Matt stopped from behind him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't really matter until we find _all_ of the crests," he said.

"You may have a point there Matt," said Izzy. "Maybe the crest power comes from having them all?"

"I thought the crests would work in harmony with our hearts to give our digimon power," Keys said in confusion. "Could there be more than one way that they gain their power?"

"What's with you and hearts all the time?" Mimi asked. T.K. bristled himself up to join into the discussion before Keys could answer.

"Well I think that-"

"Hey!" Tai yelled from far up front. "We've got to move on. If we're going to have some down-time we've got to find some shade."

"Aw thanks Tai," T.K. moaned whilst waving at him. "We're right in the middle of a serious digi-conversation about the crests and everything, and then you made me forget what I was saying. You be in charge of finding the shade, we'll catch up." A slight sparkle formed in Keys' eyes at T.K., but the sparkle was gone when Tai and Agumon suddenly vanished beneath the sand.

"Hey where'd they go?" Kairi asked.

"Something grabbed them from underneath!" Joe said. From the spot where they had vanished a large red bulge was rising.

"It's Kuwagamon!" Matt yelled. Kuwagamon: a large beetle digimon with a red exoskeleton and sharp pincers protruding from its head. Wings were masterfully hidden underneath two flaps on its back.

"Who exactly is Kuwagamon?" Keys asked.

"Kuwagamon," Aiwemon answered, "an insectoid digimon. Vicious and ruthless, with teeth like knives and scissor hands that can chop through anything."

"Is that the same one?" Izzy wailed. "Really?"

"That's Kuwagamon all right," Palmon said. "There's no mistaking that ugly face. But he's a lot bigger than he was the last time." Tai and Agumon were yelling in fright, Kuwagamon's pincers had grabbed them from out of the sand and they were now hanging on for dear life. Kuwagamon reared its head and flung them off. Tai went wide to the right, while Agumon merely did a flip in the air and softly landed head-down in the sand, sinking up to his waist. Agumon quickly shifted his head through the sand and turned around to face Kuwagamon, his nostrils and mouth flaring.

"Pepper Breath!" he yelled, releasing a fireball at Kuwagamon. The large insect digimon reared its head up as the fireball struck, but lowered it again, and its growls indicated that it was angrier now. Agumon inched backwards slowly.

"I think we have a big problem," he said, "this guy's much stronger than he used to be."

"No!" Gabumon yelled. "Now Agumon! Digivolve! Digivolve to Greymon!" Instead of digivolving, as Keys thought the yellow rookie would do, Agumon inched backwards a little more. Kuwagamon leaned in closer, his pincers widening as he prepared to snap them shut on Agumon.

"Shouldn't we be helping him?" Keys asked frantically. "He's about to get sliced in two!"

"We're too far away!" Gomamon yelled. "Move Agumon! Move! Move! Do something! Get back!"

"Agumon I've got you!" Tai yelled while diving in at the last second and tackling Agumon to the ground right as the pincers slammed shut. A bead of sweat rolled down Keys' already sweating head, those two had been lucky by only a hair's margin. Kuwagamon roared in anger and tried again, but they were too low, if only just.

"What can we do?" Sora asked. Keys didn't answer, he didn't have to.

"Pixie Bomb Seek and Destroy!"

Something struck Kuwagamon, and the insectoid digimon was blasted back, far away through the shifting sands.

"Okay…" Kairi said as they quickly moved to see if Tai and Agumon were okay, "what was that?" The two who were attacked were wondering the same thing. Keys looked down in front of the two, and he smiled when he saw a tiny pink digimon strolling calmly in front of them. The digimon's body was entirely round, with two diminutive –yet thick- arms and legs. Red claws stretched from the toes of each foot. Short pink fur covered all of its body that wasn't the flesh of its face, the soles of its feet, or hands. Two small white wings protruded from its back. Tiny sandals were strapped to its feet by black bands and in the digimon's left hand lay a small iron spear with a red ribbon near its tip. But what caught Keys' attention most were the two black eyes, shining with an inner purpose. The digimon was humming a small tune to itself as he marched past Tai and Agumon's heads.

"Oh look," Mimi said, "a powder puff with wings."

"Just don't use it on your face," Sora advised, lying down next to Tai.

"Where's Kuwagamon?" Joe asked.

"Maybe it's him," T.K. thought, pointing his hat-covered head at the tiny digimon marching in front of them. The digimon spun around and looked at them.

"Ha!" he declared. "I am no enemy. Nope nope, if anything you are your own enemies." Biyomon rushed out from behind Sora in excitement and stood in front of the group while Mimi picked up the little digimon and cuddled him like a stuffed animal.

"I've heard of you," Biyomon said quickly. "You're the famous Piximon right?"

"You are?" Mimi asked, holding him gently.

"Piximon is famous in the Digital World for his skills in training, but few have ever met him," Biyomon said. "His secret home is the training ground for all the great digimon fighters." Keys perked his head up and looked at Piximon. A trainer?

Piximon waved his spear in his hand. "And I've heard all about you too, and so far I am not impressed!" He pointed its tip at them. "You nine are supposed to be the digidestined! Ha! You'd better be more careful, or you'll end up digidinners!" He raised his spear and started waving it around his head once more. "Yup yup, without my spears and my magic, Kuwagamon would be eating you right now with a side of digifries!"

"I beg to differ," Keys, Kairi, and Sedah all said simultaneously, stepping forward. Piximon glared at them for a moment, but ignored their outburst and turned instead to the digimon.

"And that's not all," Piximon said. "You digimon there! You're supposed to be protecting the digidestined, but half the time they're protecting you! I want to see some guts! I want to see some courage!"

"This guy sounds like a gym teacher I once had," Matt whispered.

"He's worse than Phil," Keys muttered to Sedah.

"I can't agree with you more keyblader," the knight of Grascora replied. Keys shook his head to rid the feeling of familiarity that had just overtaken him.

"He's right," Palmon muttered sadly, looking down at her feet. "We just don't have any guts."

"Aw," Gomamon said quietly, dipping his head. "Don't we get points for enthusiasm?" Piximon smiled and waved his spear again.

"Don't worry the news isn't all bad," he said. "Yup yup, from now on you're all going to train with me."

"But why?" Sora asked.

"Let's not go overboard Piximon," Tentomon added. Piximon ignored them and instead fluttered out of Mimi's arms on his wings while directing his attention towards Tai and Agumon.

"Especially you two guys," he said pointing his spear at them whilst fluttering past them.

"What?"

"You heard me!" Piximon said. "You guys need lots of help. But don't worry, I have a special extreme training program just for you."

"Did I hear him right?" Tai asked as he landed on the ground nearby.

"Sounds kind of extreme," Agumon added.

"Yep," Piximon said. "Follow me!" He then started muttering a hardcore marching tune as he began to walk away. Keys looked almost skeptically at Piximon before calling out to him, feeling left out of the whole affair.

"Hey Piximon," he called. The tiny pink digimon turned and looked at him. "What about me?"

Piximon surveyed him for a moment, carefully looking over Keys from his position, then…

"Junior Hero," he declared before swiftly turning his back on the group and marching along to his extreme tune. Keys looked in indignation at Piximon while Sedah and Kairi howled with laughter.

"What?" Keys mouthed silently, before turning together with the rest of the digidestined in a huddle.

"I have a question," Joe said. "Do we trust a ping-pong ball with wings?"

"Well he did save Agumon and me," Tai reasoned. "Why would he do that if he was no good?"

"Precisely," Izzy added. "He didn't have a black gear anywhere on him. I checked."

"He seems a lot stricter than Phil," said Keys, "but I have a feeling we have to trust him. He could give us some pointers and I've been feeling inadequate in this world."

"About bloody time," Sedah said. Keys glared at him.

"What do you say Biyomon?" Joe asked. "You seem to know the most about him."

"Well it's an honor to be chosen for training by Piximon," she said.

"Sounds like a lot of work to me," Mimi moaned.

"He's right though," Sora said apologetically, casting a furtive glance around the group. "We could use some help."

"How can you say that?" Tai asked sarcastically. "Just because we've nearly been eaten a hundred times."

"Well there are worse options," Matt said. "I mean do we really have a choice? All in favour say 'Aye'." Keys glanced around at the group and quickly felt his chest. The pain was decreasing, it was healing. But he also knew that if there was one thing Phil always said it was to train whenever he could get the chance. And he did have questions that Piximon might be able to answer.

"Aye," he declared, adding into the chorus voiced by the rest of the digidestined.

"Would you all just hurry up?" Piximon yelled, far in front of them as he had continued marching while they debated the issue. They all sighed and quickened their pace to catch up.

* * *

Piximon led them through the desert for another half-hour and the Sun was beginning to dip into the west on his right side. Keys welcomed the cooler air blowing across his face as he brushed his long hair out of his eyes for what felt like the millionth time. Either he needed to get some gel to spike it up again, or he was going to have to get it cut. Piximon had kept them at a brisk pace to reach their destination before nightfall, a pace at which Mimi had complained about. Despite the cooler air that Keys was enjoying, the desert heat still sapped him and he was forced to tie his leather jacket around his waist while occasionally drenching himself and the other digidestined and partner digimon with water and blizzard spells to beat the heat. He made a habit of hitting Sedah when the knight wasn't looking, as he always complained and cursed every single time.

"Are we there yet?" Mimi tiredly asked again.

"Just a little further," Piximon answered.

"That's about the seventh time he's said that," Sedah commented, throwing Keys a look of hate for a blizzard spell sent his way a minute ago.

"I think he's lost," Matt said.

"So what do we do?" Tai muttered. "Ask a cactus for directions?"

"Ice cream," muttered Sora in an audible display of longing, "cold root beer-"

"Stop that!" the group shouted as one.

"Halt!" Piximon suddenly ordered. "We have arrived." Keys looked up from his trudging feet with their lengthening shadows.

"There's nothing but desert," he said aloud, surveying the area in front of them for as many miles as the eye could see. Piximon leapt into the air on his wings and started spinning his spear around, laughing whilst white sparkles danced from the shaft and blade of the twirling weapon.

"Pixie Portal!" he yelled, throwing his spear into the air at the end of a twirl. Keys' eyes widened when an oval area of the desert scenery changed in front of him. A dense and luscious rainforest spread out from within the oval. Keys leaned over to one side and saw that there was still desert on the other side.

"It's a hole in the desert," Mimi said.

"It's a portal," Kairi corrected. "But I've never seen one like this." Piximon nodded.

"Actually it's just my front door," he explained, moving forwards towards the forest. "Come on in now, quickly before it closes." Keys looked at the others before following Piximon through the portal, Aiwemon and Menelmon following closely behind him. The rest stayed put for a moment before following through. There was a small slurping sound as Sedah stepped through last and the portal closed behind them. Keys glanced around at the plants and smiled, impressed.

"Cool," Tai said. "A jungle in a desert."

"I'll bet you've got lots of friends who want to play with you," T.K. said.

"You should have seen it when I first got it," said Piximon, leading them further through the forest. Keys kept walking until Sora gave a slight gasp.

"Heads up!" she cried. "Behind us guys!" Keys whipped around and looked to their rear. He could still see the desert beyond the last trees, and crossing through their vision was a Monochromon pulling a tubular silver trailer with an orange monkey's head on the end.

"It's Etemon in his trailer!" Mimi yelled, stomping her feet rather quickly.

"This is bad," Joe said, pushing his glasses up further onto his nose.

"And right outside the front door he is too," Piximon added, fluttering onto his wings to get a good look. "But don't worry about it; he isn't able to see through the barrier. All he sees is miles of desert in all directions, well except for the stadium two hours away, but that's just a small speck on the western horizon." Piximon turned away from Etemon's roving trailer and back to the path. "Come on now recruits, we're not going to get anywhere just standing around." Piximon snapped his spear down towards them and Keys instinctively began moving down the path again at a brisk pace.

Piximon kept them moving quickly, and within thirty minutes they had cleared through the trees at their fast pace and now stood in front of a tower-like mountain. Steps wound their way all the way up and around the mountain towards its summit with Japanese style pagodas dotting the path upwards with totem-poles lining the path at some points.

"All right everybody home we are," Piximon announced, flying just above Keys' head. "My house is just up these steps." Keys looked up.

"This definitely beats the climb to the top of Master Yen Sid's tower," he remarked quietly, in awe of the height.

"Bara-dûr is higher," Kairi whispered, but none except Sedah heard the aside.

"We have to walk up there?" Joe asked incredulously.

"But I didn't bring my stair-climbing sneakers," Mimi moaned, rubbing her feet apprehensively. "And my feet are feeling worn out enough as it is."

"Yeah and I just remembered," Tai mentioned. "I'm afraid of heights."

"By a logical standpoint," said Izzy, "it doesn't seem very safe."

"Is this part of our training?" Sora asked. Piximon smiled and flew higher into the air above them. Higher even than Tentomon who was hovering in the air on his insect wings.

"Exactly!" he declared. They groaned. Aiwemon, Menelmon, and Biyomon looked at each other quickly and nodded before beating their wings and joining Tentomon and Piximon in the air.

"No sweat," Tentomon said, looking left and right to see the birds on his wing. "We'll just fly up there, and before you know it we'll be chilling by the pool while you guys are still-"

"And oh by the way," Piximon quickly cut in, "did I forget to mention that there will be no flying by anyone during all my training?"

"Ooh," Tentomon moaned as he and the birds drooped down onto the ground.

"Haven't you rookies learned that the easy way is sometimes a trap?" Piximon scolded. "Now let's move out!" Keys sighed and placed one foot in front of the other as they began to climb.

The Sun sank even lower as the climb went on, soon the sky had lost all trace of blue and turned into a beautiful lilac, a soft pink still clinging onto the sky around the falling star. Keys' chest began to give him slight trouble on the way up, but thanks to the cure spell Kairi had cast when she was still herself it was now a minor nuisance. However when they neared the top even he recognized his growling stomach and aching legs and had smiled slightly as the whines and moans had vanished as nobody had the energy left to complain.

"Don't tell me you're all tired," Piximon said encouragingly while pointing his spear towards a building in the distance. "You see you've almost arrived." Keys looked up from his feet at the building and was yet again surprised. A circular building, like a stadium or old-fashioned theater, was sitting upon the mountain's peak. Many open windows dotted the cream-coloured walls and the blue roof topping the building gave Keys the impression that it was a great training arena.

He wondered why anything in this world still surprised him anymore.

"That's his place?" Joe asked.

"That's it," Piximon confirmed. And then he said seven words that brought all strength back into all of Keys' limbs and a new hope to his heart.

"And there's plenty of food for all."

Keys could feel Aiwemon and Gomamon's eyes lighting up like beacons from behind him.

Within moments the group lost all sense of weariness; as the promise of food overwhelmed everything else.

They entered Piximon's training arena and Keys moaned slightly when they climbed more stairs to get onto the top floor. The arena was really more or less a ring of a building with an open area in the middle, which was taken up by a large stone statue of none other than Piximon himself. The ring contained several floors –Keys counted four on their way up- each of them a hardwood ring around the statue. The training areas in the actual building were rooms on each of the floors, and he guessed that the empty areas outside of the building as well as each ring were used for sparring.

Piximon led them onto the top ring, which stood parallel to the eyes on Piximon's statue, thereby reaffirming the statue's stature.

"Why thank you," Piximon said when Keys told him this. "Is it as handsome as I am?" He then laughed at his own words as he imitated the pose.

"You said something about food," Joe mentioned.

"Ah yes," Piximon said, flying over to him, "but first you must earn it." Gomamon and Aiwemon hung their heads.

"I should have known there'd be a catch," the seal-like digimon sighed. Piximon started giggling and began spinning his spear like when he created the portal through the barrier. Buckets, sponges, and cloths instantly appeared in front of him and crashed onto the ground in front of the group.

"I want you all to scrub the floors," he announced. "All the floors."

Keys instantly went to the railing and looked down to the three floors beneath them. "All of them?" he gulped.

"All of them," Piximon said before flying a little lower and slapping Tai and Agumon with his spear's haft; Tai on the chest and Agumon on the nose. "But not for you two," he added. "I have special training for you."

"Great," Tai muttered as Piximon led them away. "I'll bet he wants us to paint the place." Sora duly picked up one of the buckets and sighed.

"Come on everyone," she said slowly and dismally, "let's get it over with."

"The last time I scrubbed a floor was… never," Mimi said, taking a rag from the foamy water in a bucket and applying it to the wood.

"It's a simple task Mimi," Izzy said. "Even you'll catch on."

"Isn't this supposed to be beneath me?" Kairi asked while she grimaced and still snatched a rag.

"Is this really training," Matt asked as he scrubbed, "or is this just Piximon's maid's day off and he doesn't like to vacuum?"

"Tokomon let's have a cleaning race," T.K. said excitedly to his partner as they scrubbed with rags next to each other. "Ready set go!" Keys half smiled as he watched the boy and the little In-Training digimon scurry along on the floor in straight lines, T.K. making 'vrooming' sounds. He returned his gaze to a nasty spot of dirt that was refusing to be removed and viciously struck at it with his cloth. His shirt clung to his skin with both the sweat and slopped water, his jeans were soaked and he had been forced to untie his jacket from his waist and hang it over a railing to keep it from getting wet.

"You sure are intense at this Keys," Mimi said after a time of watching him move about, aggressively cleaning the top floor. He looked up at her and glanced at Kairi, a sad smile on his face while he wiped the hair out of his eyes for what felt like the billionth time now.

"The last time I was scrubbing a floor," he answered, "I got whipped. Kairi too." The digidestined brought their hands up to their mouths in horror. "I think I still have the scars," Keys added in afterthought. He pulled off his sticky black t-shirt and threw it onto his jacket. His tag and silver pendant stuck to his sweating chest. He bent his back down and began scrubbing again only to stop when a hand touched his back.

"These?" the voice of Sora asked, her fingers running over numerous small white spots on his back. She gently prodded each one, and Keys sadly nodded every time. A feather ran along his side and he turned to see the white tip of Aiwemon's brown feather tracing the scar along his side.

"And this one?" he asked, his green eyes filled with concern. Keys turned his head away. He couldn't bear to look into those eyes, so much like his father's.

"A simulation of Xemnas," Keys answered. "Kairi and I fought a simulation program of the final battle with him that Riku and I had actually fought. It was almost the same, except for a good portion of it, I had switched places with Riku and Kairi took my place." He shook his hair out of his eyes again and they faded, wondering just where his best friend was now. "My scar is an exact replica of Riku's."

"How painful was all of it?" Mimi asked quietly. Keys drew his head lower, so low that now the ends of his hair were touching the floor. T.K. and Tokomon's racing noises had faded into the distance now; they were nearly on the other side of the ring, he wouldn't have to put the youngest through this story.

"You don't want to know what the Bo'sun made me do before he whipped me," Keys said haggardly, throwing a quick glance at Kairi. Menelmon noticed the change in his line of sight.

"Did it have something to do with Kairi?" she asked. Kairi looked up at him and Keys couldn't look into her eyes. He knew that they weren't _her_ eyes but he still felt too ashamed to try and stare down Maleficent.

"Kairi and I were scrubbing the upper deck on the _Flying Dutchman_, in another world," Keys began. "We'd been caputred and sent to pay the debt of a friend of mine. And the Bo'sun called for another one of our friends, Will, who was also being held captive on the immortal pirate ship, to secure the mast tackle, since they were hoisting up a cannon. Something happened at the tackle, and Will's weight wasn't enough to keep the cannon in place. The wild rope caused him to slide across deck and into the railing before a mast, and he took Kairi with him in the slide." His voice started shaking now, and he knew it. "The crew hauled them both to their feet and stood them in front of the mast for the Bo'sun to whip them, but just before that would have happened another crewman and I stopped the Bo'sun and his assistant. The crewman was Bootstrap Bill Turner, Will's father. We offered to take the punishment instead for them."

"But then Davy Jones showed up, and for our charity we were awarded with being the ones to whip them." Sora and Mimi gasped as Keys' voice broke.

"Dude that's sick," Matt said weakly.

"I can still remember his words," Keys said quietly. "_'Well the cat's out of the bag you two. You're issue will feel its sting be it by the Bo'sun's hand, or your own.'_"

"So why'd you get whipped?" Joe asked. "You shouldn't have been punished if you were able to follow through." Keys shot him a death glare.

"You think you'd be able to give the girl you love five lashes with an iron pronged whip?" he snarled. Joe took a step backwards in surprise and his mouth hung open.

"I couldn't," Keys snorted. "I was only able to last two, and then the Bo'sun gave her two more before I jumped in to take the last one, then I got more. I found that I was being very easy on Kairi compared to what the Bo'sun gave us. It was only later that I found that the Bo'sun prides himself on cleaving flesh from bone with every swing of a regular whip. Now imagine what he could do with one that gouged deeply with iron prongs and you have what he put us through." The other digidestined and digimon remained silent, not even Kairi said a word. Keys supposed that Maleficent may have had access to Kairi's memories, and either she was examining the memory or wondering just how painful that must have been.

"I don't like this puffball," Sedah growled off-topic while he scrubbed, completely apathetic to the conversation. "I've got better things that I could be doing." Keys rolled his eyes and glared at him.

"Like what?" he snapped. "Snogging my girlfriend?" Sedah dropped his rag and stood up to his full height, an entire head taller than him.

"Your sweet Kairicheeks isn't yours anymore," Sedah said with a grin. Keys dropped his rag and stood to his full height.

"Don't call her 'Kairicheeks'," Keys growled. Menelmon and Aiwemon stood next to him in readiness while the others backed down.

"And now we are about to witness an event that commonly occurs in nature," Izzy spouted quietly. "The Alpha Male, Keys, has had his mate stolen by a young and attractive newcomer, Sedah. Now the two will battle it out for the love of the female in question, Kairi."

"Izzy this isn't a documentary," Sora chided. The Oblivion appeared in Keys' hand and Sedah unsheathed his flaming brute sword. The time when they had fought against heartless together was no more.

"Should I digivolve Sora?" Aiwemon whispered. Keys shook his head.

"This is my battle," he answered, stepping forward. Sedah tisked and shook his head.

"I don't want to kill you keyblader," Sedah said. "So I'll make you a deal. You leave me and Princess Kairicheeks alone, and I'll put in a good word for you with the Lord of the Dead for when you _finally_ die. So what do you say? Deal… or No Deal?"

"I have a bad reputation with Hades," Keys muttered with a wry grin. "No Deal." His image then flickered and he suddenly appeared in front of Sedah, stabbing the Oblivion for the knight's heart. Sedah reacted quickly, slapping his sword into Keys' blade and knocking it away. The knight of Wurderlond raised his leg and aimed a roundhouse kick at Keys' head. Keys ducked and swung at Sedah's side. The blow was parried and the knight instantly began a counter-offensive. Keys stepped back, barely able to keep up blocking the blows that Sedah was rallying against him. Keys pushed back Sedah's blade with a mighty swing and quickly pointed his keyblade at Sedah.

"Waterga!" he roared, sending a torrent of water barreling out of his keyblade's tip at Sedah. The knight became drenched even from within his armour and began spluttering. Keys grinned for half a second until red flames suddenly surrounded the knight and instantly dried him off. Sedah's skin changed from blue to red and it was all strikingly familiar.

"You've had your laugh," Sedah said. "Now we're going to play by my rules." He rushed forward at Keys, and once again put all of the boy's defenses to the test. Instead of what had before been strikes to wound or impede the boy, now the cuts came to kill. Keys was only just keeping up with the knight as the strikes came in from everywhere at once, he began to feel overwhelmed. Keys swung his blade once more to parry a strike heading for his head, but the sword wasn't there anymore. The most intense pain he'd ever felt, if only for the suddenness and surprise, roared into existence when Sedah surprisingly kicked him.

Keys stumbled backwards from the blow to his chest and felt Sedah's sword nick slices on both of his arms. The tip of Sedah's blade pressed against his neck. Keys softly placed a hand in front of Sedah's chest while the knight was smirking at him in victory, preparing to issue the killing blow. A blast of ice impaled Sedah and broke through his armour. The knight reeled backwards and the ice that penetrated him began melting very rapidly. Keys gasped and took in great breaths of air, the imminent fear of death leaving him. He shook his head yet again to clear it of his hair and it was then that he decided it must be cut. Spiking it wasn't practical in an adventuring situation without a gummi ship. He flicked the Oblivion behind him and charged at Sedah, who raised his sword to block with a resounding clang. Keys looked to the left at Kairi while their blades were locked and his heart sunk when he saw her blowing Sedah a kiss in spite of his gaze. He knew it was Maleficent and not Kairi, but that could not stop the anguish at seeing the physical body of his love doing that. Keys stopped the pressure and removed his blade from Sedah's. He rolled backwards, dodging Sedah as the larger knight became unstable at the sudden loss of resistance. Keys rose and poured all of his pain into his keyblade, allowing the searing electricity to crackle and form around it.

"Thundaga!" he roared, releasing the rush of lightning. Sedah became wide-eyed at the sudden burst. Piximon flew in out of nowhere and came above Sedah, creating a magical shield around Sedah and blocking the attack.

"What are you doing wielder?" the trainer roared, thereby ending the duel. "Do you call this cleaning?" Keys looked down and shuffled his feet ashamedly, looking around at the fragmented pieces of ice that still lingered on the ground and the pools of water that sopped through the wood. Sedah grimaced and turned away into a side room. He did not leave the entire night.

Piximon glared at Sedah's retreating figure and sighed when the knight was no longer within sight. He turned sympathetically towards Keys while still floating on his wings.

"I don't trust him either," he said hardly, "but that doesn't mean that you can go around fighting him to the death in my training facility. I may be small but I'm an Ultimate level digimon. I could kill the both of you no matter what you say." Keys rubbed the back of his head and looked up at the small digimon.

"Yeah, about that," he mentioned. "I've noticed that my magic in this world hasn't been doing all that much to the digimon." Piximon shook his head.

"You are so naïve," he said. "This is the digital world. Against any digimon here your most powerful attacks and magic are like a rookie's. The digimon have the real power here, that's part of why you are digidestined, so that you'd have a partner to help protect you from evil digimon that want your hide! Against anything foreign to this world, such as the heartless, you'd be at your full strength." Keys shook his head, so that was why he and Kairi weren't that effective in fighting against Devimon, or SkullGreymon, or Kokatorimon.

"But don't worry," Piximon added. "Once you leave this world, you'll be at your full power again, yup yup. And if your partner goes with you he may feel the drain for a while, but then he'll be performing as if he were here in the digital world in no time!" Keys rolled his eyes and glanced down at the slits in his arms. They bled, but the bleeding had already almost ceased and the nearby skin was merely irritated now. The stinging did cause a little discomfort though. He shook his head, removing the hair yet again, and looked at Piximon.

"Thanks for telling me all that now," he said sarcastically. "It could have saved me a whole lot of trouble, grief, and pain had I known before I tried fighting against SkullGreymon."

"That was your own fault," Piximon said in a slight growl, he was starting to lose his patience with the wilder. "Now get back to your training!"

"What training?" Kairi asked spitefully. "Cleaning?"

"If you want me to clean, I'll clean," Keys said, dispelling his keyblade. He bowed his head and placed his hands overtop of one another. A blue glow faded into existence in the air in between his palms. The floors and walls all slowly started to glow with the same blue light that was now radiating from its source. Piximon suddenly yelped and slapped the side of his spear on Keys' head. Keys winced and his hands flew apart. His concentration broken, the glow vanished almost instantly. He drew his left hand to rub the back of his head while he looked at Piximon in indignation.

"What was that for?" he asked, irritated at the interruption. Piximon hovered above him (very close to Keys' face), his wings beating rapidly in admiration.

"You foolish wielder!" Piximon roared. "Don't you understand the implications of what you could have done?"

"I would have finished the cleaning," Keys replied lightly. Piximon pointed his spear directly in front of Keys' nose and the boy backed away slightly.

"You were using a simple spell over a massive area," Piximon said agitatedly. "The effect would have required much more energy than you currently possess. Don't look at me that way, I can tell how much energy you have and how much energy that spell would have used."

"So I'd just fall unconscious," Keys spat back. "So what?" Piximon snapped his spear on the back of Keys' head again.

"Fool! If whoever taught you knew how little you knew about magic, they'd be down here roasting you this instant! I thought you might have learned something from the digimon while you've been here! If you use up more energy than you have in a spell, you will not simply faint! Losing consciousness only occurs when you use exactly the amount of magical energy you have left. If you use more energy to perform a spell through magic using more energy than you have at your disposal or put everything you have into an attack, you not pass out, you will die!" Keys froze at Piximon's words and looked down at his hands. They were shaking suddenly with the knowledge that he would have died moments ago had he not been stopped.

A memory came into his mind, of a Nobody who had flaming spiky hair who had put everything he had into an attack to rid a corridor of attacking nobodies. Axel had used everything he had, and then faded away to death. Another memory came into his mind then, of a gummi ship flying through space, about to come onto the rear of an armada of heartless ships. An Ultima spell ripped through the heartless vessels, and then the boy who had cast the spell nearly lost consciousness, and he hadn't truly used everything he had.

How close to death had he been at that time?

He saw himself now, bending down and clutching onto his leg. A cure spell cast by Kairi entered the wound Cossex had given him, before the girl's head dropped onto his shoulder, unconscious and sleeping. And then came the sight of Angemon, attacking Devimon with all of his power and dying to be reborn as a digiegg, the earliest form of digimon evolution. SkullGreymon now appeared before his eyes, and even though he had not seen the transformation a Koromon was exponentially smaller than the evil Ultimate.

Piximon frowned slightly at Keys. "I see you understand now," he said grimly. He then turned towards the other digidestined and digimon. "Training is over for today, we'll start again at first light tomorrow."

"What?" T.K. asked, having just returned from the lap around the upper ring with Tokomon. Keys shook his head and led them into another room; a different one than the one Sedah entered that faced east, and sat down. He took one glance at Kairi and saw that she was shaken, and that there was a measure of fear in her now tawny eyes. His face was too tired to reveal his curiosity. What could Piximon's revelation have brought about that would give Maleficent reason to fear? He left his question hanging and sunk into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

He awoke in the early morning, before dawn had broken, and looked around. He was half-convinced that he was still asleep. He'd had the strangest dream but he scarcely remembered any of it, except that somewhere along the line pudding had been involved, and that Sedah had been stuck so full of Menelmon's feathers that he looked like a blue hedgehog. Keys half smiled when the image from the dream came back to his mind. He turned himself over, closed his eyes, and tried to go back to sleep.

In five minutes he knew it was futile. His stomach was protesting too much, having remembered when he had clearly forgotten that it had not been fed dinner the previous night. Keys snapped his eyes open and looked around again, more or less fully awake now. If there was no point in sleeping he might as well take a walk to wake him up. He stood and looked around at the sleeping figures of the digidestined and digimon, and noticed that Matt and Izzy were missing as well as Kairi. His interest spiking, Keys carefully tiptoed out of the room, conscious of the rest of the sleeping figures.

The moon, nearly halfway towards its first quarter, was still out, but fading in the eastern light that heralded the coming dawn. The wooden floors on their upper level almost shone with the beading moisture in the waning moonlight. Keys took in a deep breath in the cool night air and exhaled, seeing his warm breath as a mist. He suddenly felt cold metal sticking to his chest and he suddenly felt rather than remembered that he had taken off both his black t-shirt and jacket. Blushing from embarrassment, he quickly retrieved the articles that were hanging on the railing right where he'd left them. The t-shirt felt cool, but salty to his touch and he quickly cleaned it once more with a thought of 'scurgify'. He donned it and the jacket, but before he realized what he was doing he was sniffing his shirt. Unconsciously, he had inserted the smell of Kairi's perfume into his spell.

_Not Kairi's perfume_, he thought to himself, _**my**__ Kairi's perfume._

He gave a soft and barely audible moan of longing as he smelled the vanilla and strawberry blend, and faint whisperings reached his ears. His curiosity once again gaining hold of his body, he stealthily moved towards the sounds. Kairi and Sedah were just inside the doorway to the room that Sedah had entered the previous night. And whatever they were discussing seemed to be very important for it to be in a very early-morning conversation when no one else was awake.

"-my plans," Kairi finished saying when Keys finally got within earshot without alerting them. He mentally cursed himself for not getting there in time to hear what else they had been saying.

"Don't worry about them babe," Sedah replied. "They'll work out, and then all of-" Kairi silenced him with a hiss.

"Don't speak aloud of such things," she said earnestly. "Even the walls have ears."

"But you spoke about them first," Sedah retorted. Keys raised his eyebrows.

_Maleficent sure is paranoid_, he thought as quietly as he could. _But… because of her paranoia, I don't think I'll be able to hear anything else._ True to his thoughts, he did not hear anything else of interest from the two of them for the next five minutes of listening in to their conversation. The most interesting bit was Sedah saying he'd like to personally send Keys to the Underworld.

Keys lost all interest after that when they started talking about the weather. He shifted his gaze to the east, where the first shafts of the true light of dawn were starting to emerge. He yawned loudly, placed his hands behind his lanky, now shoulder-length brown hair, and broke the protocol of the eavesdropper by casually walking in front of the doorway. He saw Kairi and Sedah looking at him in disgust, and surprisingly his heart was no longer negatively affected by Kairi's glare.

"None should wander into other rooms alone," he spoke aloud in a casual manner. "Nobody knows if there's an evil digimon lurking there. And you heard what Piximon said, we're almost powerless here against digimon."

"So what are you doing?" Kairi snapped. Keys absent-mindedly tilted his head skywards, his eyes rolling away from her into the night sky where the light of the stars faded when brought against the Sun's triumphant return.

"Oh you know me Kai," he jested without enthusiasm. "I almost never follow my own advice." He looked back down from the skies, and saw a slight giggle and flash of blue in Kairi's eyes. But as soon as he thought he saw it, it was gone. Keys narrowed his eyes but walked away, his heart celebrating in elation. Kairi was fighting back. Soon it would no longer have to harden itself against her taunts, mocks, and tortures.

He went back into the room and looked out the window. The sun was beginning to rise confidently into the sky. And he knew that this sunrise seemed to be the most beautiful and hopeful of all that he'd ever seen. Light was being returned to a world that had for so long seemed dark. The others slowly awoke as time went on and the yellow sun reared its golden head from its earthy grave.

He was jolted out of his reverie by Piximon, banging on a metal pail with his iron spear. He reluctantly tore his eyes away from the sunlight and left the room, sleepy-eyed Aiwemon and Menelmon following him as he followed Sora and Biyomon. The difference between them all was startling as the group waited at the balcony. Whereas Keys was fully awake, famished, but with a confident outlook on the day, and Kairi was haggard, tired, and very stressed, Sedah twitched with nervousness and the remainder were simply tired.

"Rise and shine everybody!" Piximon yelled, flying in from beyond the balcony. "Everybody up! Come on people!" Tentomon buzzed over them on his wings, anxiously looking at their ranks.

"Piximon, do you know where Izzy went? He's not in his bed." Tentomon's statement brought some measure of alertness into the still sleepy digimon and digidestined.

"And I can't find Matt," Gabumon said suddenly.

"What?" T.K. asked worriedly, stretching himself to look over the railing at Piximon while Tokomon sat on his hat as usual. "Hey Piximon did you send my brother somewhere?"

"You're brother and his pal left to look for crests about midnight," Piximon answered irritably.

"I don't believe it," Tentomon moaned. "Why would Izzy leave me behind?" Sora and Mimi smirked and leaned next to Joe.

"Isn't it strange?" Sora asked slyly. "First it's Agumon and Tai leaving, and now it's Matt and Izzy gone, ever since we met Piximon people started disappearing."

"Maybe next Joe will turn up missing?" Mimi asked in the same tone. Keys couldn't suppress a snort.

"Come on you guys," Joe said anxiously. "It's not funny, stop fooling around. What if it's Piximon making everyone disappear?"

"Come on Joe, chill," Gomamon said jovially. "We can trust Piximon, can't we? I mean you wouldn't do anything really cruel would you?"

"Like not feed us?" Aiwemon interrupted. Piximon sighed and rubbed his head before glaring at them.

"Attention! Training will now begin!" Keys tapped his foot on the ground, the sound of the worn soles of his runners slapping on the wooden deck.

"Without breakfast?" he asked dryly, folding his arms together. "Come on Piximon, you can't expect us to train without food." Piximon glanced at him, interested in what he was about to say as Keys wasn't finished yet.

"In the immortal words of my other trainer Phil who first labeled Donald, Goody, and me Junior Heroes," Keys added, smiling at what Goofy would say had he been here. "_'Success in the games comes down to two simple words: Eat, Bathe, Sleep.'_"

"But that's three words," T.K. commented, having counted with his fingers in a way very similar to Goofy. Keys laughed.

"I know," he answered. "But Phil always does that. When the three of us were about to fight Cerberus the first time he said this, _'Kid, I've got two words of advice for yah: ATTACK!'_" He laughed heartily and Sedah snarled.

"The old goat's always saying stuff like that," he scoffed. "And I thought staying in perfect shape was part of the Hero job description."

"_Junior Heroes_ Sedah," Keys mocked in imitation of Goofy before dropping his head and adding in an undertone, "Man I miss those two." What Sedah had just said struck another discomforting note of familiarity, but Keys paid it no heed next to the rumbly in his tumbly.

"If I could have just a small smackeral of honey I'd feel better," he moaned quietly. "It goes against everything I know, but I'll pass that up if the training will help us out." Piximon sighed for a second before cheering up considerably.

"Excellent," he said. "You pass this test."

"Test?" Joe balked. "What test?" Piximon smiled at him.

"Pretending to deny you breakfast was testing your resolve," Piximon said. "If you are truly set on a goal, you can put everything else aside and work towards that goal. Discipline towards a goal gives you strength and power. But that doesn't mean that you should allow hunger, thirst, and exhaustion to go without addressing them. Remember they are three of the enemies to survival. And if you let your enemies take advantage of you, you won't be able to win!" He waved his spear in the air and laughed at the faces of Aiwemon and Gomamon.

"But don't worry. Yup yup, there's plenty of food to be had before the _real_ training begins."

Keys ate whatever had been placed in front of him ravenously, not entirely sure what it was or what it tasted like apart from the fact that it was a better breakfast than he'd had in a long time. After the fact though, he wondered why he had eaten so much. The training Piximon started them off with wasn't physical at all, as Phil would have done. Instead the tiny Ultimate had led them into a large rectangular room. Here, he had explained, they would begin training their minds to help them through the task at hand.

"You must find your inner peace," Piximon said as his group of trainees sat cross-legged in a line. "Clear your mind of all thought and delve deep within yourselves while keeping your mind rooted here in your consciousness. Feel your very soul and listen to the beat of your heart while allowing your mind to wander. You will find that you will be in a state of great contentment and concentration if you are doing it correctly and, depending upon who you are and what you hold, many things you may discover about yourself, and the world around you. With practice, the effect you find can even be achieved in the waking world while you perform everyday tasks!"

Keys closed his eyes and bent his head down. He concentrated on finding that solace within himself without dropping into the world within his mind. It didn't feel like that was what Piximon had been getting at.

"Clear your mind," Piximon echoed. Keys tried, but sudden thoughts such as _how?_ kept breaking through his concentration to clear his mind. And the very thought of clearing his mind held a prominent position amongst the thoughts that would not abandon their bastion. He opened his eyes a crack and glanced around. The others all looked exactly as he did, but each held a slight quiver in their skin and he knew that they fared little better.

Then Keys tried a new approach, his magic. Magic had always been a part of him ever since before he had touched the keyblade, but he had never been able to sense or unlock its power until that fateful night. Now the memory of the night and the Darkside cluttered his mind, adding to the other thoughts that would not leave. He tried to find, and reach for his magic, his solace, but while he grasped it the true essence of magic eluded him. The faint wisps that he was able to latch onto were the trailing tendrils of the spells he had learned, but never true magic. He heard Piximon come to a stop directly in front of him.

"Let it all go," he whispered into his ear. The calm quiet words struck something within Keys' mind and he wondered. _Let it all go?_ He did not even think after that point, but took one slow and shuddering, yet quiet, inhale, before releasing a long, silent, and steady exhale. He felt everything being released from his mind and limbs and flowing out of him in that breath. All his confusion, weariness, anger, passion, everything that plagued his senses, marked his body, or instigated his emotions was breathed out in that impossibly long moment. He no longer felt any pride, any envy, any love, any hate. He was left with a simple feeling of contentment like the soft purr of a cat on a lap while his heart beat on like a steady drum in a soothing song. He was at one with his soul, his essence.

Knowledge came to him in his trance. He felt the magical energies inherent in his being rise around him, and unbeknownst to him he began to hover steadily in the air half a foot from the ground. He felt the conflicting light and darkness in his heart and found that the darkness was greater, but he was not afraid. The auras of those around him flared into his unseeing sight, and the rampant fluctuations of Kairi's aura let him know that deep within her a battle of wills was being raged between the princess of heart and the sorceress who had possessed her. An aura of strength emanated from every digimon and person within the room, and those of the digidestined without crests had smaller auras than those with their crests. The portion of light in Joe and Mimi was also greater compared to the portion of darkness, unlike in Sora and T.K., who had about equal amounts. The digimon, to Keys' relief, were bathed in light, with only small amounts of darkness within them. But Piximon easily held the strongest aura of power of anyone in the room. However Sedah, interestingly enough, had no sense of darkness within him, but the light was barely discernable. It was almost as if he were completely neutral.

Keys stretched out with his mind, like probing fingers searching for something one needs. He could feel Piximon's barrier miles away from their current position, and a strange power, unfamiliar of anything he had felt before, came from a nearby cave. Two great powers of light that he had felt lay dormant suddenly spiked just beyond the barrier. They had to be crests. Further off to the west two superior ones lay hidden, their abundant light barely being concealed from his probing mind. A hidden being emanating of the power of light he felt hovering above the group, like a parent or a steward carefully watching over their charges.

He felt all these things at once. Time had no meaning to him in this inner world of peace.

There came a sudden shift of Piximon's aura that caused Keys to suddenly snap open his eyes and leap into action before he was even conscious of what he was doing. The Oblivion was out and swinging in tandem against Piximon's spear. Keys didn't think, his eyes didn't see the world as it was meant to be seen, he only saw a flurry of ever shifting auras, knowing where the spear of Piximon would go before it ever did and instinctively countering the blow with his keyblade. His movements were fluid, precise, and executed in a manner of such perfection that he'd never accomplished before.

Piximon smiled at the challenge that Keys was giving him. The boy was truly the master of the keyblade, and in this third lesson he was giving the keyblade master, still moderately weak by the standards of previous wielders, he could feel the difference just a small amount of falling into one's self could do. He could only imagine how strong the boy would become once he had gained his crest and the power that had been removed from him since birth was returned.

Keys parried a blow of Piximon's almost effortlessly, even though the Ultimate had garnered all of his physical strength into the attack. Piximon fumbled backwards, his spear dangerously wide as Keys spun around in a three-sixty, Oblivion perfectly balanced in his hands. His knees bent as he spun and he came around from the spin low, crouching down to less than a quarter his height when he struck out against Piximon. The Ultimate raised a shielding barrier that blocked the strike, but the force behind the blow pushed both the trainer and his shield back five feet.

Keys stayed crouched down, and his vision slowly returned to seeing the physical world as it was meant to be seen, instead of seeing everyone edged with the colours and strengths of their auras and the imminent future. Everyone was looking at him in amazement. He took in a few deep breaths and wondered to himself.

_Was he really that good?_

Piximon dropped lightly onto the ground. He sighed and drooped his head, the bottom of his spear's pole dropping onto the ground with a hard tap. Keys' lip quivered for a moment, but when Piximon's head rose he saw that the pixie digimon was beaming at him.

"Well met Junior Hero," he said. "You pass this test, yup yup." Keys smiled and stood to his full height, realizing the minute amount of discomfort that the back of his knees were experiencing. He smiled at Aiwemon, who was beaming at him in pride, and turned his gaze towards the end of the line. Kairi was still shaking, wrestling in the internal battle for control over the body, but Sedah was frowning at him. Keys took three determined steps towards the pair, and Kairi opened her eyes, the amber piercing his sapphire.

Keys pointed the Oblivion purposefully at Kairi's sweating head. "You will lose this battle," he said calmly. "You will lose, and the girl you hold captive within her own body will be the one to kill you. But this I swear to you now: I will last, to see your end." Kairi grimly shook her head and cackled.

"No you won't boy," she said maliciously. "You and your girl will die by my hand before my rule in this realm is complete." Keys smiled arrogantly and shook his head to match hers.

"Your time is running out Maleficent," he whispered. The gasps of the digidestined and digimon met his proclamation. Sedah's was the most pronounced and Piximon turned his grim face towards the girl. Kairi stoically met his gaze, not flinching or revealing any sign of surprise that he knew who controlled the body.

"So you know," she said. "Then won't you be pleased as you watch me take your precious princess away from you, little by little." Keys shook his head, still arrogantly smiling at her when Kairi shook slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sedah, recovering from his initial shock.

"How did you know?" the knight unwittingly questioned. Keys' gaze darted to him in a flash, and Aiwemon and Menelmon were instantly beside him.

"How did you know?" Keys repeated heatedly, small curls of fire starting to wrap around the black blade he held. "The only ones I told were Aiwemon and Menelmon." Sedah's eyes went wide and Kairi snarled as her gaze fixed on him.

"Fool!" she snapped. Keys shook his head and the fires around the Oblivion intensified. Sedah took one look at the flames, smirked, and then surrounded himself in a portal of darkness. The Keyblade Master frowned as the portal dropped instantly and no trace of Sedah remained. Kairi scoffed her head at where Sedah no longer remained and Keys released his keyblade with a satisfied smile. One enemy down, one to go.

He just had to hope that Kairi would win the battle.

* * *

_That's all for now, only one more to go before Part II._

_You'll all hate me for that._

_Drop a review!_

**_May the Grace of the Valar Protect You_**

_Shire Folk_


	40. Wagers, Cleansing, Sedah's Desperate Act

_Shire: Well, here's the last chapter of __**The Beginning**__. I've had a great time writing this fic, but I'm still not done. This is the end of the beginning (pardon the pun) and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. By the way, this one is the longest chapter I've ever written._

_Sora: Yeah and doing whatever you wanted to do with us._

_Shire: Haven't you figured this out yet Sora? __I'm not doing anything to you guys! __You are the ones doing it all._

_Sora: (bug-eyed) WHAT?_

_Shire: This is your story, I'm just telling it as it happens._

_Sora: So you mean that after forty-chapters, of not owning anything, __we're__ the ones who have done everything and you haven't done a thing?_

_Shire: Yeah, what's so hard to believe about that? I'm only seventeen here, do you really think I would have the imagination to pull off some stupid stunt like this?_

_Entire Cast: YES!_

* * *

**The Beginning**

Chapter XL: Wagers, Cleansing, and Sedah's Desperate Act

Keys kept up his smile as he held Kairi's golden gaze. She was tensed; sweat beading on her forehead and a slight wisp of a growl escaped her clenched teeth. He was relaxed, gladly staring into her helpless eyes. Her ally had deserted her, Sedah was gone. Now there was nothing she was able to do apart from go along with what he and the other digidestined did unless she wanted to give up Kairi.

And Keys knew she wouldn't do that unless she had no other choice. He didn't know what more hurt Maleficent thought she could do to him with Kairi, but he did not dwell on it. In his eyes, it was only a matter of time now.

Piximon's voice broke through his thought. "Back to your training!" barked the Ultimate level digimon. Keys turned around, having forgotten for a moment that he was still in the room. He stared at the digimon for a second, before nodding politely and striding back to where he had previously sat. Piximon heaved out a sigh in a long breath.

"Okay troops let's try this again," he said confidently, pacing in front of the line. "Let go of all feeling. Let go of everything you know. Clear your mind." Keys bent his head down again and closed his eyes, preparing himself to once again fall into his soul and essence.

It didn't happen that way. His mind once again became cluttered with random thoughts and vague memories. The scene that had just passed was vividly displayed in his brain, and the grasps of his magic were fainter now then they had been before. It was like he didn't know how to do it at all. Victory over Maleficent for once had come so close with Sedah's departure that the only thing that could possibly occupy his mind now was not the ramblings of Piximon or the other thoughts or memories that were now swept by the wayside. The only thing that his mind now desperately clung onto despite his intentions of clearing his mind were pictures of him and Kairi together as they had been. Their first kiss in the simulator, the dance in Beast's Castle (he supposed he'd have to start calling it Prince Alain's Castle), flying together on Destiny Islands, sparring above the _Black Pearl_, moonlight dancing in the air next to Whamon, lying together under the night sky in The New World, singing in Atlantica with their untrained (yet adequate) voices, lying together as lions in the jungle outside of the Pride Lands, the pink crown pendant around her neck, Kairi in her bridesmaid's dress at Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding, and a thousand other shots before they had even realized they were in love. A smile played itself across his face as his mind became full of nothing but Kairi.

He opened his eyes and felt the sharp rap of Piximon's spear against his head. He was sure it would leave a nice bruise under his hair; he hadn't been ready for it because he hadn't seen it coming unlike last time. He heard Piximon sigh disappointedly.

"You must practice young wielder," Piximon said. Keys sighed and hung his head.

"Yes master," he said. He half wondered for a moment why he had called Piximon that, but his head answered saying that it seemed right. Piximon glanced at him for a moment as Keys tried once more at falling within himself before pacing the line a few more times. He had already attempted with Keys twice now, the time had come to test one of the digimon.

Piximon swung his spear down near Gabumon, and the rookie suddenly leapt into the air, flailing his arms around in surprise before crashing back down onto the wooden floor.

"No Gabumon," Piximon reprimanded. "Making funny faces will not defeat your enemies. You must always-" Keys' eyes snapped open when Piximon stopped speaking. He hadn't managed to do what was asked of him yet, his mind was unfortunately centered on Kairi's perfectly curved lips at the time while still trying to rid himself of everything, but even in that state he could almost hear it.

"My barrier's been broken!" Piximon cried in surprise.

"Izzy's down there!" Tentomon said.

"And Matt!" added Gabumon.

"We've got to help them," said Tentomon. Keys stood up and quickly followed Piximon out of the open doorway, the others following in his wake. Even Kairi under Maleficent's control was forced to follow.

Keys could immediately tell that Piximon was regretting the entire decision to have his secret home on the top of a mountain, the only way off in a long winding staircase. He looked out over the forest and saw columns of fire erupting from within and a small red speck near a break in the barrier, desert stretching out from beyond. He looked at Aiwemon as he felt the air currents underneath him. The bird digimon nodded and he looked out over the expanse again. Piximon stopped and looked inquiringly at him.

"What are you planning wielder?" he asked. Keys merely grinned as his feet floated off of the ground.

"Planning on living up to my name of 'Junior Hero'," he answered. "We'll keep them safe until you arrive." Piximon nodded and Keys flew down into the forest with Aiwemon beside him. The jungle trees flew past him as he sped on the air currents like a gale. Columns of fire erupted around him, but each time he and Aiwemon were able to dodge and swerve.

He saw Matt and Izzy running frantically, trying to avoid the attacks as they came blasting in from the digimon standing in the forest. Keys turned his eyes towards the digimon and saw Tyrannomon, the red tyrannosaur digimon with sharp green plates running up the center of its back, tail, and head. Dozens of cables from Etemon's dark network were attached to Tyrannomon, controlling him. Fire was curling in its mouth and its blue eyes were centered on Matt and Izzy. Keys sped towards the two, frantically trying to beat the fire as it sped towards the two petrified boys.

He reached them just in the nick of time, a reflega shield forming around them right before the flames broke onto the group of four.

"Keys!" Matt yelled in surprise.

"Excellent timing!" Izzy added jovially as the fires stopped breaking into the shield. Keys lightly dropped onto his feet and looked absent-mindedly at his right hand.

Piximon had told him that he held no power against digimon in this world. Looking back at previous encounters he saw how true that was, but he still had powers of defense that quelled their attacks; he'd just have to leave the attack to Ohtarmon and Soronmon. He looked at Aiwemon and the little rookie nodded without a word.

"Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon!"

Keys smiled once more as he looked upon the great warrior that towered above him. He had faith; he knew his partner would get the job done.

Almost sensing this, Ohtarmon turned with the small clatter of his grey armour and pierced Keys with his green eyes.

"Be back in a second," he said light-heartedly. "Keep the victory feast warm."

"Just go," Keys laughed. Ohtarmon nodded and was about to rush off when the voice of Tentomon hailed them. Keys turned around and kept his smile as he watched the others all rush towards them.

"You guys sure are fast," Ohtarmon remarked, watching their approach instead of running off into battle. Keys nodded beside his partner at the group. Menelmon's brown eyes suddenly went wide.

"Ohtarmon behind you!" The warrior had only begun to turn when a blast of fire struck him in his armoured back. He grunted, dropped onto one knee and let his mace fall from one hand, placing the newly freed one on his knee. Keys looked behind his partner and winced at the red patch on the grey plate.

"Ohtarmon are you alright?" Menelmon asked worriedly, fluttering up to him. Ohtarmon raised his head and looked squarely into her anxious eyes.

"Don't worry Menelmon," he said, a light chuckle escaping from his beak. "It's going to take more than that to stop me." Keys looked away from the two birds, smiling slightly. He lost his smile when he saw dozens more black cables flying into the air before they all pointed together. A holographic image of Etemon came from all of the cables, towering above them.

"I like to call this one 'Bye-bye digimon bye-bye'!" Etemon said, playing a discordant melody on his guitar. Ohtarmon roared in pain and let go of his mace entirely, moving both his hands to clutch his helmeted head. He glowed in a golden light and his form shrunk as Gabumon and Tentomon both dropped onto the ground. Aiwemon lay weak on the ground next to them and Menelmon laid a comforting wing around him, rubbing her cheek on the top of his head. Keys turned a hard eye on Etemon's holographic figure, seeing Tyrannomon readying another barrage out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm not going to take it anymore," he said grimly, dashing away from the group before they could protest or follow. Tyrannomon's attacks began moments after he left and Piximon was forced to create a shield to protect the remainder.

"Well," Etemon said, his hologram looking at Keys as the boy dashed through the undergrowth. "The boy's trying to be a superstar? Or maybe he's just such a fan of my awesome music? Oh I love having heroes in the audience." Keys summoned the Oblivion to his hand as he approached his target, one of the black cables spouting Etemon's image.

"Junior Hero Etemon," he said, his voice turning into a laugh as he sliced through the cable. The image of the large orange baboon flickered slightly as the cable disintegrated into pieces.

"What?" Etemon asked in surprise as Keys sprang away from where he had been, avoiding a blast from Tyrannomon. "What are you doing? Don't make me sing at you boy!" Keys flipped his way past a tree, dodging another fireball in the process, and came up to another cable. With an effortless swing he cut through the cable, watching in satisfaction as it too disintegrated. Etemon's image flickered again, this time a bit longer. Keys dashed away from the scene again, this time only narrowly avoiding a fireball from Tyrannomon. He came up to another cable and a certain beat started the thrum through his head.

"Boom, boom, boom," Keys muttered to himself with a wide smile as the cable quickly fell, "_another one bites the dust_." He smirked as Etemon began yelling at him but raised his voice instead as he came to a pack of cables, each one falling only after he sang of its demise. "Boom, boom, boom, _another one bites the dust. And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust_." He looked up from the patch of disintegrating cables, one still next to him, and pointed the Oblivion at Etemon's now fizzling holographic image.

"_Hey! We're gonna get you too! Another one bites the dust_!" He cleaved through the last cable next to him. Etemon started hopping up and down in anger at the keyblade master's antics, his form barely discernable now.

"I'm gonna get you too, you measly little pest! And after that I'm going to find something easier to beat, like a cardboard box or something!" He stopped jumping and raving and readied his guitar. "But first I think I'll give you a little taste of my Dark Network!" Keys clutched his head and fell onto his knees as Etemon played a jarring chord on his electric guitar, his energy drained away.

"Erg," Keys groaned, hunching his back so that his head touched the ground while he still stayed on upright knees. "Why won't this guy give me a break?"

Etemon laughed at his comment and pointed his flickering holographic microphone at Keys. "Ha ha! Now Tyrannomon, time to finish this one-hit-wonder off!" Keys looked up through the foliage at Etemon's controlled Champion digimon, determined to deke out of the way before the fireball could incinerate him. But before the fireball could even begin to form in the muzzle of the dinosaur digimon it was distracted by something else.

Greymon had knocked its knees out from under it by a sudden charge from behind. Keys grinned and got onto his swaying knees to make his way back to the group, calling on nearby trees to steady himself in his once again weary state. Tai was now standing amongst the group of digidestined and digimon, and he and Sora were smiling at each other before they quickly looked away to see him coming back.

"So Agumon's digivolved again then has he?" Keys asked rhetorically, staggering towards them while keeping one eye on the two digimon. Tai smiled wider and nodded. Greymon then began lifting up Tyrannomon, and the black cables linking up to the red tyrannosaur started getting caught in twisted knots and snapping as Greymon raised the other digimon higher, and higher. Cables that were stretched through the jungle were ripped from their beds in the dirt and pulled into shreds. Etemon's fuming hologram finally died as a final cable was broken. Once Greymon had brought Tyrannomon up to his shoulder, the other digimon completely inverted with its head stuck between Greymon's massive arms, Greymon suddenly fell down onto his back, the weight being too much for him to handle. But it proved a blessing, for the remaining cables were all piled in front of him, and they shattered as he swiped a claw across their exposed casing. Greymon rose through the fizzling pieces of cable that went into the sky and roared in victory.

Keys smiled and shook his head as the others around him erupted into victory dances, Tai and Sora hugging for a brief moment before breaking apart, each looking the other way. Kairi hung back, throwing glares at all of them, and Piximon fluttered on his small wings with a relieved smile. Keys kept his smile and looked down at Aiwemon and Menelmon, who were both standing at his feet, Aiwemon drooping slightly from having his energy drained again. Tentomon and Gabumon suffered as well, they weren't as rambunctious in their celebrating as the rest of the digimon.

Keys picked up Aiwemon and softly put him in his comfortable perch on his shoulder, all the while being grateful that Aiwemon and Menelmon weren't as large as Biyomon; he'd never be able to do this if Aiwemon was that big. The brown bird digimon nuzzled his cheek affectionately against Keys' and the teen placed a soft hand against the other side of the bird's head.

"You did a great job," he whispered. Aiwemon chuckled slightly in confusion.

"What did I do?" he asked in confusion. Keys fixed him with his eyes.

"You showed Etemon you weren't afraid to fight at a moment's notice," he answered. "That's got to be worth something eh?" He left Aiwemon to ponder this while Menelmon giggled slightly at his bemused expression, hiding it behind her wing. Keys let a slight chuckle escape his own lips before looking wearily at Kairi, who met his gaze on impulse.

"Say, Maleficent, do you have an ether you could lend me?" Keys asked calmly, and even with a bit of mirth in his voice. Tai, Matt, and Izzy swiveled their heads like owls in between Kairi and Keys in surprise. They hadn't been there when the announcement was made. Kairi let the glances slide and came up to Keys with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"If I were truly here now," she drawled, her voice laced with venom, "I would rip your heart out for even suggesting such a notion!"

"Aw," Keys cooed in mockery. "Wittle Maleficent's angry. Whatever will she do? Will she try to kill me again? Too bad, because I already killed her once, I can do it again!" He rather enjoyed the snarl Kairi sent his way. He knew he was being _far_ too arrogant for a person in his position, but Maleficent was in possession of his girlfriend, and it just felt right to vent some of his frustrations out on her while Kairi fought to regain control.

And who knew, maybe making Maleficent angry beyond all reason might give Kairi and advantage. He laughed; the very sound of his own taunt bringing energy back to his limbs.

Maleficent snapped. With a primeval, guttural roar she threw herself at Keys, who immediately realized he'd gone one step too far with that laugh. Aiwemon quickly got off of Keys' shoulder before the blur that was the possessed girl could collide into him. Acting on instinct Keys grabbed Kairi's arms as she ran into him and turned, letting her momentum carry her forward. He kept a hold on her arms though and stopped her from falling. He wrung Kairi up to force Maleficent's puppet to look into his eyes. He forced himself not to feel the pain at seeing the wince deep in her eyes, a pain that he felt came from Kairi. But, there was something else in there as well, the yellow at that moment seemed a little less, and a tiny fringe of blue crept in.

And in that blue was a look of victory.

But it was smothered in an instant, and Kairi looked at him in surprise as he showed her just how toned and how much stronger his muscles were compared to hers. Even though Kairi had been with him in adventure now for the past month, and had trained in secret by herself for a good many months beforehand, he had been the one always racing and fighting with Riku for years, he had been the one who fought countless battles against the forces of darkness. Kairi may have had a great affinity for magic that had now surpassed him, but in a contest of physical strength and speed he was still the superior. And if Maleficent knew what Kairi's physical limits were, she'd be able to match herself up to him.

And he made sure he let Maleficent know this. If she were to ever bother them again, he wanted to make sure that _he_ would be her target, to draw the attention away from Kairi. He would be the one to be the valiant one to take a hit for her to keep Kairi safe.

He was her valiant knight, he finally realized. He knew they needed no title for that to be true. And he'd do anything for his princess.

He let Kairi go, and she wandered some small distance away from him. She was feeling her hands, uncomfortable at the amount of strength he had. Keys turned his eyes away at Piximon, who had gathered the rest of the digidestined and digimon together during the exchange between him and Kairi. Greymon had come up to them, and was now back into his rookie form of Agumon.

"Thanks a lot Piximon," Keys caught Matt saying. "We really learned a lot from you."

"Yeah," Joe added. "Like how to scrub floors and starve half to death."

"Joe!" Mimi scolded. "Don't listen to him. That's just Joe's stomach talking."

"Far from over your training is," Piximon said seriously. "Remember, life itself is a training session. Learn all you can."

"Right," Tai and Agumon said simultaneously. Piximon turned his attention towards Keys then.

"Remember Junior Hero," he said. "Always practice your skills and meditations and look objectively at everything around you, some ways may be easy, but the easy way could be a trap. You are one of the few destined to protect all the worlds in this realm, and though you may not look as great as your forbearers, I have faith in you."

Keys nodded, determined to capitalize on Piximon's confidence in him. Piximon gave a curt nod and wished them all luck before repairing his barrier and speeding away on his wings.

Keys looked around then at the others, who had immediately begun debating their course. Tai was openly voicing his opinion that they should just pick a spot on the horizon and start walking, and Izzy and Matt were debating with him on how wise that plan was. Kairi scowled at them all from behind Maleficent's cunning eyes and Mimi was resting against the back of a tree while Sora now moved to take a part in the discussion. Keys scanned the horizon himself, and his eyes swept over the desert lands beyond the forest, finding nothing. But something bothered him; he knew he had felt something from a point in the near-distance when he had managed to achieve the state of inner peace that Piximon had talked about.

Keys sat cross-legged on the soft grass beneath his jeans now, his eyes closing as he tried to block out all sounds of the debate and ambience. Something about the serenity of the forest aided him. He struggled, though, but within a few minutes he had been able to cast away all emotion and thought, letting everything go as he did before. His magic flared around and within him once more, and now he felt the levitation though he dismissed it. The auras once again came to give him sight in his blindness, and the anger and frustration of the digidestined slowly shifted into one of confused acceptance without apparent reason. Yet even so he knew the cause from the wealth of knowledge his meditation was giving him about the world around him, within him, and within those around him. The debate had ceased because they had all noticed him, and were awaiting his decision with apprehension. The emanations of power came now from Matt and Izzy as well as the other crests, and he didn't need them to tell him now that they were the children of Friendship and Knowledge, respectively. He felt again the nearby presence of light, a mantle which hovered protectively around them all, but most strongly around himself and Kairi's heart, he now realized. He dismissed the familiar feeling he felt from the presence and probed outwards.

His essence obeyed in an instant. Near to the west, on the fringe of the horizon yet much closer in truth, there lay the two powers he had sensed before in Piximon's dojo. One he now recognized as familiar, but he couldn't place where. Etemon's presence was out to the east, there was little chance he'd interfere especially after just being beaten.

He opened his eyes and unfolded his legs, letting them pick him up from his levitation. He still was within his trance and now the images of the auras and reality merged together in a shifting, beautiful mosaic. "We go west."

"West," Izzy inquired, "Why west?" Tai answered before Keys could open his mouth.

"Who cares?" he asked. "We have our heading, so let's set sail." Keys nodded and took the lead, a small spring in his step that he barely noticed while he slowly slipped out of his trance as conscious thought came back to him. There was a small speck on the horizon that he'd missed in his initial sweep. He knew that it was there that the two crests lay hidden, and there was a sneaking suspicion within him that the two crests were his and Kairi's.

He wondered how Kairi, or Maleficent rather, would react when Kairi's crest was safely in her tag upon her chest.

* * *

They walked at an easier pace through the desert than when Piximon had been leading them the day before, confident that Etemon wouldn't try attacking them again so soon after his new failure. Aiwemon traveled on Keys' shoulder as usual, his strength quickly returning after being drained. Tentomon and Gabumon were doing well as well, buzzing and walking at their partner's sides. An easier pace, but it still didn't help too much against the heat, so Keys obliged once more in showering them all in water and ice at frequent intervals, leaving all party members completely refreshed at each opportunity.

After and hour and a half of nearly straight walking, the small speck on the horizon, which had been steadily growing in their sight as it became their true destination, suddenly became recognizable to Keys. He hadn't seen the exact building before, but its style and function were made perfectly clear as the form of the building became evident.

The building was build entirely of cement, and was in the shape of a bowl, but even from this distance Keys could discern the metal arch that stretched from one end of the bowl to the other in the top half of a ring, being completed by the remainder of the stadium. A Blitzball Stadium stood in the deserts of the digital world.

Giving out a cry of delight, Keys immediately began running forward to the concern of his friends. He had never thought that he'd see a sight such as this, and the fact that his tag had just started to glow confirmed his suspicions. His crest was somewhere within the stadium. If it weren't for the prospect of getting it, he'd be giddy enough already from the idea of maybe checking out the sphere pool to see if it was somewhere in there, coincidentally allowing him to play a Blitz game and show his friends _his_ game.

And it gave him a bargaining chip, one that he hoped to exploit. A warrior is an inherent gambler, and he hoped his gambit would succeed.

His face grew in wonder as he now stood in front of the stadium, the building looking exactly like the one back home on the Islands. That is, if that one was still around. It sent a jolt through his heart that he still didn't know of the _exact_ fate of his home. And what of the other islands? None had said anything about the fate of any place other than the main island which held the city. There were still around four smaller islands around it, with the midpoint between the main and its closest neighbor being the small island where he and his friends had played and trained for so many years. He had an aunt, uncle, and cousin on that neighboring island, its village of Dunash named after it. They ran a chocobo ranch. Just thinking about the wind flying through his hair as he rode proudly on one of the great flightless birds on one of the few times he had ridden one sent a feeling of longing over him. How he longed for those days of peace and innocence again. But most of all, he wanted Kairi to be with him to share in those days.

Which is where his gamble came into play.

He entered the confines of the stadium first, and quick as a flash he ran into the mid-section bleachers. The rest of his party was forced to follow along quickly, wondering what madness must have overcome him, for he hadn't spoken a word. Keys gazed with admiration at the empty air in the middle of a bowl-shaped dell in the center of the stadium, the machina that would fill the invisible pool sitting idle nearby. The party came up behind him, and they all stopped when they saw nothing.

"What is this place Keys?" T.K. asked in awe, looking around at the empty stands and the pit in front of them.

"Could this be a concert hall?" Mimi asked, looking around the dell. "Those look like the lights for it." Keys shrugged; the smile still on his face as he looked at the machina Mimi was mentioning.

"I guess that's what Etemon could use this place for," he said wryly. "But, that isn't its purpose." He turned slightly as the machina suddenly roared to life, great geysers of water erupting from them and flowing in beautiful arcs into the air. He smiled further at the expressions of the others as the sphere pool started to be filled, the water falling into place at the bottom of an invisible sphere that hung in the air. Keys still wasn't sure what it was that kept the whole setup in place, but whatever magic or technology did it, he was eternally grateful.

"This is no concert hall," he said at last when the pool was one quarter filled, the curved arcs of water leaving elegant trails behind them that glistened in the sunlight. "This is a Blitzball Stadium."

"What?" Sora squawked simultaneously with Biyomon. "You mean the sport you play on your own world?!" Keys laughed and nodded his head, looking down at his tag as it glowed again. Light came from Kairi's tag as well, and she looked at it apprehensively. His suspicions were correct; both crests were within the facility.

"And it looks like your crests are here too," Tai commented. Keys nodded and looked at the pool.

"And since I intend to search out the place as thoroughly as I can," he said, turning to look back at them, "how about a game?"

"Why?" Kairi drawled before anyone else could answer. "Why would you want to play a game instead of searching for your meaningless crest? It won't help you defeat me no matter what you or your friends say." Keys flashed a determined look in her direction.

"How about we raise the stakes then?" he proposed. Kairi's eyes glinted in interest.

"I'm listening."

"I say we place a little bet on this match Maleficent," he said grimly. "One which could be mutually beneficial to the both of us."

"How would any wager you propose be beneficial to both parties?" Kairi scoffed. "You insolent knave."

"What benefit is Kairi to you, great Maleficent?" Keys asked abruptly, stoically taking the blow to his pride. The golden eyes that gave Maleficent sight through the girl's body narrowed.

"What causes your inquiry?" she asked.

Keys ignored the question. "Your darkness is now so great that it, though it pains me to say it, can snuff out Kairi's light, oh powerful one. And any counter that she brings to bear against your full power is meaningless as is mine. We both know that you are stronger than Kairi and I presently are, even combined with Riku wouldst you still beat us? I think you would even if the combined light of all the princesses of heart were to be brought against you."

"My power is greater than you can imagine," Maleficent's voice suddenly issued from Kairi's mouth. "Very soon, I shall be stronger in darkness that even the Cornerstone of Light would not counter it!"

"And rightly so, most powerful sorceress" Keys conceded, keeping up a stream of compliments with which he had succeeded in lulling her into a favourable mood. "So of what value is Kairi to you?" The girl stopped, as if Maleficent was pondering the same question. "We both know that the defeat for _our_ side, meaning mine and Kairi's, is inevitable even though we will struggle on. I keep saying that you will fall, that you will die. But we both know that this won't happen because you are simply too powerful for a second death on your part. So why not let my side falter and break in one fell swoop?"

"Here is my proposal. We play this blitzball match here, my team of digidestined and digimon against yours, with their consent. If my team and I should happen to win, you release Kairi for the pleasure of killing both myself and her another day."

"And should my team be victorious?" Maleficent prodded in a menacing drawl.

"If you win," Keys answered, "You get us both. To kill and torture at your leisure." The silence that followed was almost absolute, only the sound of the machina filling the sphere pool permeating the astonished atmosphere of the group.

"Are you mad?" Tai hoarsely whispered to Keys when he finally recovered his powers of speech.

Keys inclined his head towards the younger boy. "Madly in love? Yes. In a crazed madness? No. I know what I'm doing."

"I would accept," Kairi suddenly spoke, with Maleficent's voice still. "But there must be some terms in place for this match that is to be played."

"Go ahead," Keys said cautiously. "Name your terms." The girl's golden eyes seemed to relish in her seemingly ceaseless victories over the keyblade master before she continued.

"The first is that the players of proposed game should be enchanted in such a manner that breathing and speech underwater is completely capable. Such enchantment will be done by you, and inspected by myself." She smiled with such maliciousness that it caused the younger children and digimon to tremble.

"Why?" Sora dared to ask. Kairi snorted.

"You think I can use this girl's magic?" she asked rhetorically. "I shall tell you why I cannot allow her to do so. The last time I wished for the princess to do magic I was forced to give some portion of her confined self back to the girl, and weakened my hold. Never again will I be so foolish! I now hold her with an iron will, and only by my will will she ever be rid of me!" Keys forced his face to not show any emotion or surprise, though it was a hard-won struggle that took several seconds.

"Fine," he said at last. "Anything else?" Kairi gave a curt nod.

"The halves be extended to thirty minutes regulation time with a fifty minute half-time and I pick first," she said quickly. "Do we have an accord?" She extended her hand with a menacing smile that Keys grimly met. Slowly he extended his hand to meet hers and shook it for the briefest of moments. Their deal was done, the bet was on.

Now would come the determining factor, one that could tip the balance for either party: Team selection.

"If anyone is to abstain from the blitzball game, make yourselves known now," Keys announced, turning towards the group in front of him. "Remember it is played almost entirely underwater, and the ball is about the same size as a soccer ball."

"That counts us out," Menelmon said dejectedly. "Aiwemon, Biyomon, Tentomon and myself wouldn't do too well underwater."

"And neither would I," Tokomon sighed. "I'm too small to be of any use." Keys nodded and turned to the remainder.

"Any of you guys going to sit out?" he asked. "Each team needs six, five fielders and one net minder." He quickly counted their number as eleven; and including himself and Kairi, made the total of thirteen. One would not be playing.

Mimi quickly put up her hand. "I'd really love to help you out Keys," she said, drawing her face away ashamedly. "But I'm not that very good a swimmer, I'd be more of a hindrance than a help." Keys sighed and smiled sympathetically. He placed a kind hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay Mimi," he said. "You're heart's in the right place."

"Don't worry Mimi," Palmon said cheerfully. "I'll play extra hard for the both of us!" Mimi looked at her partner and smiled slightly.

"Thanks Palmon," she said appreciatively before going to sit with the digimon who'd be spectating. Keys looked at Kairi, and the girl promptly turned away from him to look at the players.

"Tai, Sora, Matt, Gomamon, Joe," she rattled off quickly before Keys or anyone else could get a word in. A slight smile came to her face. "You five are mine, follow me." Without another word she spun on her heel and went out of the bleachers. The five she had named looked at each other for a second before each in turn looked sympathetically at Keys.

"Sorry man," Matt muttered with his hands in his pockets, downcast.

"You shouldn't have said she could pick first," Tai said, determinedly looking away from Keys. The older boy just shook his head.

"I've done what I had to do," he whispered. "Don't worry about me, we'll be okay." He looked up at the five. "Go," he said with surprising earnest. "If you don't she'll punish you, go!" Sora nodded first and led her unwilling teammates out of the bleachers.

"So that means that we're against them?" Agumon asked when they were out of earshot. "There's no way we're going to win!"

"I hope you're wrong Agumon," T.K. said quietly. "Tai's the best soccer player I know."

"Same here," Izzy mumbled. "I'd say our chances of victory are slim to say the least." Keys rounded on his team, leading them out of the bleachers towards the locker rooms.

"Come on," he said enthusiastically. "We won't win with that attitude!"

"But Maleficent has a stacked team," Gabumon protested.

"And this is blitzball," Keys retorted. "Not soccer. They may be similar, and a good blitzer may be a good footballer, but that doesn't mean that a good soccer player will be a good blitzer. Besides, if all else fails and we start going south, I have a trump card; two really but only one is for the game." He clutched his tag as it gave another glow. "The other is for post-game."

He knew very well that even if they did win that Maleficent would never give up Kairi honorably. And he hoped that his hunch that the crests would be in the sphere pool was accurate. Otherwise, he doubted if his second trump card would work.

Kairi and her team were already standing in the hallway of the right-wing locker rooms, the door that led to the sphere pool right at the end of the hall. Keys got within earshot just in time to hear the end of Kairi's pep talk.

"-personally turn each and every one of you and your digimon into heartless!" Her team cringed before her in dual nature. Her team was caught between two outcomes in a lose-lose situation for if they won or lost. Kairi spotted Keys and his team approaching, and her face immediately made a sneer.

"Ready to perform the transformation spell?" she asked, mocking him. Keys grimaced. This was what he had feared his wager would come to. Maleficent had sought every advantage she could get out of him for the match, knowing that he'd agree to it all for the mere hope of getting his beloved Kairi out of her grasp. And he allowed her to do so, making her overconfident in her tactics. He knew that doing such a spell would tax him greatly, and that then he'd have to swim for half an hour before he'd be able to rest. With the odds on her side, her team would already be legions of points ahead.

Keys nodded his head through his grimace and placed his hands together while closing his eyes.

"Wait!" Keys stopped in his concentration and turned to see tiny Tokomon standing behind him, looking with determination at him while a whistle hung around his head.

"Tokomon," T.K. asked, "what are you doing here little guy?"

"I may be too small to play," Tokomon answered, "but you need a referee. I can at least do that. Mimi also said that she'd commentate, and asked that you guys tell me your team names before we start so I can tell her." Behind the veil of his eyes Keys' hopes soared. Refs were supposed to be impartial, and he didn't doubt that Tokomon would try to be, but he ever so slightly had the ref on his side. That might make things a little easier. But giving Tokomon the temporary ability to breathe and speak underwater too would drain his energy just that little bit more.

He nodded anyway and started concentrating once more. The green glow from his transformation spell surrounded all of them and each felt nothing as if nothing had happened, though something most assuredly had. All of them were overcome by a sudden desire to get underwater, like the open air was too oppressive for them to stay there any longer. Each team dove into respective locker rooms for a moment, where the moisture in the air of the room gave them a measure of comfort. Tokomon ran towards the door at the end of the hall, and it opened for him with a small splash of water.

Keys had to force his eyes to stay open, laboring with every breath while he tried to follow his team into their locker room.

_I shouldn't have done this._

He shook the streaks of his hair out of his eyes and wearily entered the room. His teammates were all sitting on the bench, looking at themselves and each other with varying degrees of confusion.

"What exactly did you do Keys?" Izzy asked while looking at his hands. "I don't feel like anything changed, except for the peculiar desire to get underneath an ocean of water."

"I feel it too," Gabumon said. "What about you Palmon?"

She nodded her head. "It's the strangest thing. And it's already making my roots tingle."

"Hey Keys," T.K. asked, looking up at him. "Something wrong?" Keys shook his head and chuckled sarcastically.

"Oh no, nothing's wrong," he said, drawing the attention of every teammate towards him. "I'm just dead tired and am forcing myself out there to fight my way through a blitz game that will decide whether I live to fight another day or die a horribly excruciatingly painful death. Either way, my friends shouldn't know about what I've done to regain Kairi's freedom until after we defeat Maleficent."

"But I thought you said that she _can't _be defeated," Agumon said.

"Yeah I did," Keys mumbled. "But do you think I actually meant half of the hash that I spewed out so that she'd go along with this? It doesn't look like it but I'm never going to give up until we do win." He lowered his tired head and lightly placed a hand to his forehead. He stayed silent for quite a while, trying to draw as much strength into him as his brief rest would allow.

"Time to talk strategy here," he said at last, rubbing his eyes. "There are six positions: Center, Left Wing, Right Wing, Left D, Right D, and Keeper. Palmon, you're in net."

"Alright," she said, pounding one of her green hands into the other. "You can count on me!"

"That's good," Keys answered with a slight smile. "Kairi won't be going against you and she's the only one who would know any special blitzball shots besides me."

"Why won't she be a forward?" Izzy asked.

"Because she'll be in net. We always had her and Selphie keep for us guys; Maleficent would be a fool to ignore her skills," he answered. "Now then, If I could guess anything about her strategy, I'd say that Tai, Sora and either Matt or Gomamon will be her forwards, with Joe and either Matt or Gomamon on defence. We'll need to counter that."

"How?" T.K. asked.

"I normally play center," Keys replied. "But in my current state with no time to rest up I'll have to go on D. T.K., I want you and Gabumon to play as Agumon's left and right wings. Think you three can put some pressure to them?"

"No doubt about it," Gabumon said. "Us digimon may not know too much about the game, but we can be aggressive in a competition. You didn't see the two Monochromon battling on File Island."

"That's good," Keys said, relieved. "What about you T.K.?"

"Don't worry about me!" he retorted. "If I'm going up against my brother, just watch out! It may start to get ugly."

"Make it too ugly and the ref will call a foul and give them a penalty shot," Keys said, though he laughed when he said it. "I like your spirit though. Try to keep them out of our defensive zone as much as possible. Izzy and I will hold the fort."

"Right," Agumon said. "So, uh, just how do we steal the ball away from the other team anyway?" Keys smacked his head, then winced and wished he hadn't.

"Right… you guys don't know. To steal the ball, you tackle your opponent and try to pull the ball out of their grasp." He quickly briefed them on where their starting positions were and the rules, and reminded them that they had the _entire_ sphere to swim in, all three dimensions. A loud buzzer sounded and the team all looked up.

"It's about time to start," Gabumon commented, staring to move towards the locker room door. Tokomon suddenly entered through the door and Keys glanced down at the little digimon.

"One more thing," Keys spoke quickly, stopping any movement. "We need a team name."

"Well the whole purpose of this match is to save Kairi from Maleficent's control," Izzy said logically. "And since we're the team that has to win, be it resolved that our team name be 'The Saviours of Light.'" Keys snorted and shook his head. He liked the name, he really did.

"Any objections?" he asked, looking around at the smiling faces of his teammates. They all shook their heads.

"Nope," Agumon said. "I think it's a great name."

"It certainly gives us a drive to win," Palmon said. "Imagine, the Saviours unable to save the one they're supposed to save."

"We'll win," Keys said in determination. "We have to."

"Yeah!" T.K. added, pumping his fist as he ran towards the door, which Keys had just opened again while Tokomon rushed out after quickly getting the starting lineup from Keys. "Let's show that witch what we can do!"

"It is often the safest thing for a team to be visibly animated by one spirit," Izzy spouted. His face suddenly became joyous as he too went for the door. "Let's go for it guys!" The three digimon roared in approval behind him and followed the two humans out of the room. Keys smiled as he watched them leave through the access door to the sphere pool.

_They do have the will, that's for sure. But it takes more than willpower sometimes._

He looked up and sighed before quickly following them into the waiting room, or the 'holding cell' as Blitzers called it. A long bench that ran into the sphere pool sat against one end of the wall. A wide trough about a foot and a half deep was against the bench, already filled with water. T.K. had taken off his hat and placed it on the bench, his messy golden hair already damp from the humidity in the room. Keys breathed in the familiar scent of the water and stepped into the trough, taking pleasure in the feeling of the water soaking through his socks and shoes and wetting his shins. He took off his jacket to keep it somewhat dry and placed it on the bench beside T.K.'s hat, turning his head to look at the side of the sphere of water, held in place by an almost invisible membrane. Instinctively he brought his left leg back and spread his arms wide before bringing his leg back next to his right and placing his hands in front of his chest, one over the other to leave a sphere of air in between them, and bowing.

"What was that?" Palmon asked, having observed the procedure.

"It's the Blitzball sign for victory," he replied, looking up from his bow. "We're going to need all the help we can get." He sloshed his way towards the end of the holding cell and placed his hand against the membrane that held the water together, that would also allow players and the ball to come and go between the pool and the outside at will. So much was riding on this, and he was the one who had instigated it all. His tag glowed once more.

"Let luck be a lady this day," he whispered under his breath.

Mimi's voice, amplified a hundred times, broke through any thoughts he and his team had at the moment and the tension they had all begun to notice reached a sudden peak.

"Hello and welcome Blitzball fans of the digital world!" Mimi spoke. "I'm Mimi Tachikawa, digidestined and child of Sincerity, and I'll be your commentator for today's match between the Dark Destroyers, and the Saviours of Light." There was a wild roar that broke through the waves of water to get into the holding cell where Keys stood and his eyes widened.

_How many digimon could be in the stands?_

"Without further ado, let's get this show on the road. Introducing the home team by flip of a coin, The Dark Destroyers!" Mimi almost hissed when she spoke their team name. "Forwards: Tai Kamiya, Sora Takenouchi, and Matt Ishida, Defensemen: Joe Kido and Gomamon, and the Keeper and Team Captain: Princess Kairi!" Keys heard a roar from the crowd after Mimi announced each name and his nerves intensified. He had never before in his life played a game of blitzball with more than maybe four people idly watching he and his friends play, how was he supposed to play with an entire crowd? He sighed as his team came up behind him, preparing to leap into the pool at a moment's notice. All of them were about as nervous as or even more anxious than he. The tension mounted, almost amplifying the weariness he felt in his limbs, and all Keys wanted to do was to dive into the sphere pool, hoping he'd feel better under the water.

"Now it's our turn," Agumon said quietly, his voice shaking slightly. Keys nodded, his fists trying to wring the weariness from his eyes.

"The die is cast," he breathed quietly.

"And the challengers," Mimi said, her voice changing into one whose tone honored Keys. "The Saviours of Light! Forwards: Agumon! Gabumon! and Takeru –T.K.- Takaishi!" The three left as each of their names were called, diving through the membrane to rambunctious applause and swimming upwards. "The Keeper; and my own partner digimon: Palmon!" Palmon burst through the membrane to a rush of cheers. "On Defence, the computer expert and resident genius: Izzy Izumi!" Izzy gave Keys an uncertain glance, wondering what Mimi was playing at for not announcing him, but after the slightest of nods from his captain he too dove through the membrane. Keys punched the side of his head slightly, trying to quell some of the anxiety that plagued his nerves. "Also on Defence, Captain of the Saviours of Light, the Master of the Keyblade and two-time saviour of the worlds: his name is Sora, but here he is known differently. I give you Keys!" He dove through the membrane to tumultuous applause, and all his nerves vanished from him as soon as he felt the water flowing over his face.

The blitzball stadium had somehow become packed in the space of the fifteen minutes since they left the stands. Piximon was in one of the front rows, waving his spear and sitting alongside Aiwemon. Keys smiled and waved at them. There were hundreds more digimon in the stands, from the horrendously odoured Numemon and scheming Gazimon to the humble Koromon and elegant Floramon. Battle lines had been drawn even in the stands, and those that sat behind Palmon's net cheered loudest for the Saviours and those behind Kairi screamed wildly for Destroyers.

Keys swam up to check on Palmon as she floated in front of their goal, the image of a seven pointed star etched in mystical lines behind her. His tag glowed slightly and he smiled even as his weariness plagued him again. Palmon nodded at him and Keys swam away, cutting easily through the water to get near to his starting position.

"Today's match is looking to be a promising showdown," Mimi said as the players flitted around in the pool in a warm-up, "with more at stake than just the pride of the players. The Dark Destroyers are definitely the stronger team, with experienced soccer players hoping to prove their skills in the game of Blitzball and a veteran keeper, and playing under the fear that their captain generates. But the Saviours of Light are also to be reckoned with. What they lack in experience they make up for in determination and an amazing captain. Bit of a surprise that he's playing defence this half instead of offense; hope that goes well for his team."

"The players are now getting into their starting positions as referee Tokomon takes the field to begin the game with the opening Blitzoff." Tokomon swam towards the glyph that defined center pool, bouncing the studded blitzball off of his round white head.

"Hey T.K." Matt whispered, across from his brother. "Good luck bro."

"You too Matt," the younger brother said.

"Don't wish us luck," Tai said from at center. He looked behind Agumon to look at the right defenseman. "Sorry about this Keys." The older boy shook his head and fixed Tai with his gaze.

"Don't be," he answered. "Play as hard as you can, as if you _actually want_ to win. I want this to be the toughest game I've ever played."

"Okay Sora," Gomamon said enthusiastically from the back as Tokomon placed the blitzball directly in the center of the glyph. "We'll give it our all!"

"Don't expect me to go easy on you then Agumon," Tai warned. Agumon lowered his head, his eyes set.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Tokomon flipped over in the air to get out of the way and blew the whistle that hung over his head as hard as he could.

"And here we go!" Mimi yelled. "Tai Kamiya of the Destroyers gets the ball right off the blitzoff before Agumon could get a hand on it. Keys folds in and tackles Tai, does he? Yes! He's got the ball! Swimming up and up field now, nice dodge there, just getting out of Sora's way. Pass to Gabumon. Gabumon now with possession, now T.K., now Gabum-. Oh! Great tackle there by Matt, looks like partner loyalty has no place here. Pass to Tai. Tai diving down, avoiding Agumon and his kick. Tai still with possession for the Destroyers. Dekes left, or is it right? Anyway, dekes around Izzy there. But Keys is in the right place! Great tackle, and Keys in possession now for the Saviours. Quick pass over to Agumon, but the pass went wide and Sora's now got a hold of the ball. Gabumon trying to ram through her, nice move there Sora, going above him. Kick him while he's below you girl! Whoops, just kidding there. Sora, long pass over Tai's hair to Matt. Matt with possession now, deep in Saviour territory. Keys blocking his way there, but no! Matt's kept his hold on the ball. Matt still swimming down to the net. Look at this; there's nobody in his path! Is he going to shoot? Matt, passing to Tai now. Tai's not grabbing the ball; he's going to take the shot! First test here for Palmon, come on girl… YES! Palmon has the ball! Save for the Saviours!"

Palmon raised the one hand that wasn't holding the ball to the cheering crowd and kissed it, waving the kiss towards her supporters. Keys smiled and shook his head, calling for the ball with his hand.

"Palmon with a pass to Keys now. Keys with possession, dribbling down the pool. Passes up field to T.K., interception! Matt with possess- Oh T.K.'s now crashed into his brother, they're wrestling… HE'S GOT THE BALL! T.K's got the ball! Way to go T.K.! Nice spin there little guy, good dive too. Quick pass over to Agumon before Gomamon could get him. Agumon with possession. Fakes left to avoid Joe, whoa! Close call there Agumon, Sora just missed you. You're in range, Shoot! Wait-! pass to Gabumon, now back to T.K., Agumon again at point blank! He shoots, SCORE! Just off Kairi's fingertips and into the goal! Love the star on moon pattern on the back there. One-nil for the Saviours!"

Unfortunately that was where their good luck seemed to run out. Under Kairi's vengeful, glaring eyes the forwards of the Destroyers were forced to put any and all skills they had to the max while they translated them between sports. Keys and Izzy were forced to play close to the net, while Agumon, Gabumon, and T.K. were more often than not twisting around in their own zone than able to clear the ball to the other side. The Destroyers were able to score three times because of the screen they had been able to create in front of the net, and Keys was struggling to keep up as the clock kept ticking down.

"Matt with the ball in the final minute now, good fake away from T.K. there, passes to Tai, pass to Sora, interception! Keys has the ball from being in the right place at the right time. Oh! That's a horrendous blow there; you should be ashamed of yourself Tai! We should be expecting a foul; yes, there's Tokomon's whistle."

Keys wearily swam towards Kairi's net to take the penalty, both teams following swiftly behind him.

"I don't think he's going to make the shot," Agumon whispered to his fellow forwards. "Keys is too tired to do too much."

"If there's a rebound," Gabumon said, "I have an idea." He quickly whispered his plan to Agumon and T.K., who both nodded approvingly.

Keys held onto the blitzball tightly, gripping each and every one of the bumps that riddled the ball, giving extra grip in the slippery conditions of being underwater, as he could get his fingers to run over. His breath came in moist, his newly defined respiration system extracting the oxygen from the water he sucked in. Kairi floated readily in the net in front of him, and her eyes seemed to be a mix between the gold of Maleficent and the blue that she herself held. Maleficent must be permitting the memories associated with Blitzball and goaltending to return to Kairi to increase her skill. Never mind, she'd be able to block anything he sent her way now with how tired he was. And even if Kairi was somewhat in control, even if for only Blitzball, she wouldn't dare _let_ him score on her. The Kairi he knew was too proud to let him get the better of her on a penalty shot.

Tokomon blew his whistle and Keys let go of the ball, allowing it to float in the water in front of his chest. He quickly smacked it down towards his feet with one hand and kicked the ball as hard as he could towards the left corner of the net. Kairi dove, her arms outstretched.

"And save by Kairi!" Mimi declared half-heartedly as the ball bounced off the palms of Kairi's hands. The forwards of the Saviours suddenly sprung into action, kicking their feet wildly as they moved to make a form of triangle. T.K. grabbed the rebound from Kairi's hands and threw it as hard as he could at Gabumon, who was up high and much further away without a good angle on the net. "I wonder what those three are doing." Mimi wondered as Sora quickly swam towards Gabumon in an attempt to intercept. The mammal digimon opened his mouth in response, blue energy forming in his gaping maw.

"Blue Blaster!" he roared, firing the ray of blistering hot energy towards the blitzball that was still moving towards him. Sora swerved out of the way to avoid getting scorched and Joe dove down. Gabumon's attack stopped the ball in its tracks, and sent it spinning rapidly towards Agumon, who had a perfect angle on Kairi, still recovering. Agumon kicked hard with his foot at the blitzball and sent it towards the net. It immediately looked as if his kick was off, for it began moving directly towards Kairi; but the spin Gabumon's attack had put on it caused the ball to knuckle its way through the water, weaving unpredictably. Kairi dove; her arms spread just enough to catch hold of the ball.

"Kairi's going for the save!" Mimi screamed in excitement. "She's got, no she doesn't! The ball slipped in her hands! She fumbled the ball and let it in the goal! What a beautiful play by the Saviour's offence, right with three seconds left on the clock too. And Kairi's hanging her head in defeat there; she can't believe she let that one go. That's three-two Destroyers. Keys celebrating with his team at that amazing goal. Matt's even got his brother in a headlock and is messing up his hair! Brotherly love right there. I don't think even Keys believes what just happened. This one's going to be talked about for ages back where Blitz is huge. We need to get him the replay. The excitement finally calming down as the teams go for the blitzoff in center. Agumon with the ball, quick pass back to Izzy, and there's the buzzer. We're in for a good second half when these two prime teams come back from a well-deserved break."

Keys swam out of the sphere pool first from his team; the excitement from Agumon's sudden goal giving him a burst of adrenaline that he welcomed as well as he welcomed the whistles and cheers of the supporters and fans.

They wanted to celebrate even more when they got to their locker room, but the strain had finally reached them all and each one collapsed into a state of rest that left each of them half asleep. Except for Keys, he didn't have the time to sleep. Instead he spent the first thirty seconds of their break getting into the meditative trance that Piximon had taught them, but only he'd achieved. He discovered that it was much easier to do when he was tired. Before he slipped in though, he acknowledged just how proud of his team he was. And then he was lost in a state of contentment, where his senses calmed even while heightened and his muscles relaxed.

When Tokomon came in, telling them that they had five minutes, Keys opened his eyes and stood instead of hovered. He tried to keep his grasp on his trance while he felt perfectly refreshed.

"Any line changes?" Tokomon asked. Keys nodded his head as his team came out of their stages of sleepiness.

"Yes," Keys answered slowly. "I'm in center. Agumon's going to be our left defenseman."

"I'm on D?" the yellow rookie asked. "Okay, cool. I'll try that." Keys smiled at him and led his team back into the holding cell, slightly surprised and frustrated that he wasn't able to stay within his trance. He violently shook his head to dispel his feelings of inadequacy while his stomach twisted as if he'd eaten something that desperately wanted to escape through his throat. He took calming pleasure in the water that slid around his shins, and now with his energy completely restored he felt that he was ready to take the win.

"The time has now come to get the second half under way," Mimi's voice announced. "Now let's welcome back our challengers, The Saviours of Light!" Keys broke through the membrane to tumultuous applause, his teammates behind him, ready to face down the worlds as his nerves left him. This was their time, this was the pivotal moment right here. Here they would score the first victory over the darkness that plagued the worlds.

Who would have even thought that it would be a Blitzball match?

Palmon took to her goal quickly and Keys started swimming towards center as Mimi took up her megaphone again.

"And now the returning home players, up by one, The Dark Destroyers!" Boos and hisses came from Saviours supporters while cheers of delight erupted from the other side of the stadium, drowning out the negative commentary the benevolent digimon were giving as the opposing team swam into the pool once more. They took up the same positions as they had in the previous half, but Keys noticed that each of them was glancing at each other in apprehension. Tokomon started swimming towards the starting glyph for the Blitzoff to start the second half, once more bouncing the ball off of his head.

Keys took up his place as center and Tai faced off against him, the boy's face white as chalk.

"What's wrong?" Keys asked. Tai gulped.

"Well, we just got a huge threat hanging over our heads if we lost," he replied. "And we were just told to use any means necessary to win." Keys lowered his head slightly as the blitzball was set between them and fixed Tai with his eyes once more.

"Then try to deny me my victory," he dared. Tai balked at him.

"Are you serious?"

"If you don't try to keep me from winning _I'll _be the one to break you," he retorted. Tokomon blew his whistle at that moment and Keys sprang forward with a powerful push of his legs against the glyph. He grabbed the blitzball in his hands and checked Tai with his shoulder, barreling right through him.

"Here we go!" Mimi roared. "And what a rush Keys has given us right from the get go! Now I see why he normally plays center." Keys ignored Mimi's commentary and slid in between Joe and Gomamon, who had both tried to fold in and block him. His wings were both tied up so he went in alone on a breakaway against the net. Kairi floated anxiously in front of the net, his approach on her was amazingly fast, faster than the attack had been at the start of the last half. Keys dropped the ball and started kicking it forward with his feet, running through the water towards her. He didn't bother to feint and rocketed the ball towards the net with a furious kick. Kairi swam to grab the shot, but it spun into the goal just above her hair, stretching out the membrane that held the sphere together.

"It looks like Blitzkrieg out there!" Mimi cried as everyone stared absently at the blitzball as the sphere's deformation rounded out. "Such lightning speed and quick moves! Five seconds into this second half and Keys has already tied it up with an unassisted goal."

"If you let him dominate like that again I'll have the heart of every digimon in this accursed world completely assimilated into darkness!" Kairi screeched at her team, once more with Maleficent's voice issuing from her mouth; "Starting with your partner digimon!" Her reluctant teammates were forced to nod their heads.

"Yeah, sure," Matt said, waving his hands in front of him as Keys started to approach to get back to center. "Whatever you say boss."

"Nice moves though," he whispered when Keys actually got up to him.

"Play dirty," Keys whispered back.

"What?"

"This is a sport Matt," Keys laughed quietly. "If you never get your hands just a little dirty you can't say you've ever played. She's told you to do whatever it takes to win right?"

"Yeah…" Matt replied slowly. "But-"

"Then stop being a chicken and letting T.K. whip you!" Keys retorted, a cheeky smile on his face. Matt quickly glanced at his younger brother and saw the smaller blonde smirking at him. Keys turned away and got onto his side of the glyph as Tokomon rolled the ball into center again. He didn't see Matt's face, but he heard the tell-tale sounds of whispering behind him.

"We're off to the races with the game all tied now early here in the second half," began Mimi again with renewed enthusiasm. "And there's Tokomon's whistle- Wow just look at that scrimmage! Keys and Tai are grappling for the ball- wait- Keys has it! Saviours in possession once more! Wow, he's really invigorating this team. Ouch! Nice tackle there my Matt, but Keys is still holding onto it; couldn't take that second one though. Sora in possession for the Destroyers. Quick pass up to Tai- wow, he's really swimming too. Tai to Matt… but the pass went wide and it's gobbled up by Agumon in the Saviours' zone. Agumon with possession, passing up the side to Gabumon on the right flank. Sora trying to get a hand on it but Gabumon gets it in the end. Gabumon to Keys- Intercepted by Sora now! Sora with possession, nice dive to avoid Gabumon there. Watch out Izzy's right in front of you! Phew, good move there girl, he can't keep up. Sora to Tai- No, Keys interce- never mind, Tai tackles Keys and steals the ball back. Destroyers in possession- No, Saviours in possession- No, Destroyers again. Matt with the ball now. OH COME ON! YOU DON'T DO THAT TO YOUR BROTHER!"

Matt had grabbed T.K. by the scruff of the boy's collar and thrown him away through the pool when his younger brother had tried to tackle him. But Tokomon didn't blow his whistle, as the move was essentially legal.

Spurred on by his efforts, the Dark Destroyers suddenly became more violent than any Blitz team Keys had ever seen in any game. It even beat out the Straca Stormbringers (the team from another neighbouring island) for brutality. The defence came onto offence even to aid them in their fury and desperation to retain their hearts. To Keys, even though he knew that they cared very much about his and Kairi's lives, they seemed to be valuing their own skins more than his. He accepted this, but did it ever make him angry.

Keys punched the ball out of Tai's hand before he could make a shot with it. Gabumon grabbed the ball and frantically kicked it down to the other side of the pool, to be tackled moments later by Gomamon. It wouldn't have been unusual had Gomamon not started clawing at Gabumon while they grappled. Izzy saw this and roughly kicked Gomamon in the side. Tokomon blew his whistle twice.

"Penalty to Saviours for a foul on their forward," he said; "Penalty to Destroyers for retaliatory foul on _their_ forward!"

"Get out of it Toko!" T.K. yelled, but Tokomon shook his head. Gabumon was so frustrated in the behaviour of the other team that he missed his shot by several feet, not that Kairi wouldn't have saved it anyway. And Palmon put up a great save to deny Tai his second goal. The game was still tied at three.

But Keys realized as the minutes ticked down and the fighting got more intense, more and more fouls and penalty shots occurring, that eventually it had to go south for one team. Palmon passed the ball his way after she had made her twenty-second save and as soon as his fingers grazed the ball he was suddenly tackled in the back and a streak of ginger hair leapt before his eyes. Sora, sans blue hat, had grabbed the ball from behind in a surprise attack. She kicked out to get towards the goal and her sneakered foot connected with his face. He felt his nose roar at him in pain as it _almost_ broke, but that didn't stop the blood from gushing out of his nostrils.

"Sorry Keys," Sora said apologetically from in front of him. Evidently she had felt her foot make contact with his head, or heard the crowd gasp and Mimi's comments. She quickly passed the ball off to Matt and then spun around to look at him, wincing at the blood that floated in front of him. "Are you alright?"

Keys barely nodded in the daze the blow had given him. He placed his hand up to his nose and muttered the word 'cure' under his breath. He wriggled his nose around when the healing magic had done its work and gingerly touched it.

"Good as new," he said when he had finished testing it. A glee of delight came from the opposite end of the stadium that drowned out the moans from nearby. Keys and Sora both looked to see the ball spinning in the membrane goal behind Palmon.

"And goal for the Destroyers," Mimi said. "Bad luck there Palmon. Matt rings it up with his first goal of the game to make it 4-3."

"Looks like we're all losing," Sora murmured. Keys nodded before suddenly realizing what she said.

"You understand?" he asked. She nodded in response.

"How can I not?" she rhetorically asked, her voice dropping as they both swam to center. "If my team wins, you and Kairi die, and so does the greatest hope the side of light has. If your team wins, you're both spared to fight another day, but Maleficent will destroy the digital world with heartless and take our hearts."

"No she won't," interjected Keys quickly.

Sora looked at him, thoroughly stunned. "How can you say that?"

Keys raised his eyebrows. "You think after fighting against her for so long, and killing her once, I wouldn't know her mind?" He left Sora a moment of silence before continuing. "She won't attack here. She's learned that the digimon have the real power, just as I have. Plus, we're bound to do something that will screw up her plans or something and she'll entirely forget about her plans for the digital world."

"So we're safe if your team wins," said Sora. It was more of a statement than a question. She laughed slightly as they neared the glyph. "Looks like we have to trust in the Saviors to save us."

"Yes you do," Keys laughed in response. "But I still want you and your team to play to win. When you play a blitzball game, you play to win, sometimes using as many dirty, underhanded tactics you can." Sora nodded with a queer expression on her face before swimming away to take her place.

Tokomon blew his whistle and once more they went into the scrum.

"Tai with the ball," Mimi started commentating, "good tackle against Keys there. Pass to Matt- T.K. gets in the way though and the pass goes wide to the edge of the pool. Izzy's got a hand on it- IS THAT EVEN LEGAL!?" Sora had quickly moved in on Izzy and checked him hard while stealing the ball. Izzy conserved all of her momentum and was blasted out of the sphere pool into the crowd.

"Izzy!" Tentomon yelled as the crowds roared in disapproval and joy. A Gotsumon from the Destroyers' supporters tossed a rock at Izzy. Enraged, the Saviours' supporters flung themselves unto the Gotsumon, and a battle between the fans began to unfold.

Sora smirked slightly and threw the ball towards Tai, who was also grinning. Tokomon didn't blow his whistle again, as Izzy wasn't showing any signs of being hurt and leaving the sphere pool was legal.

Mimi bit into her megaphone, venting some of her fury at Sora for doing something so dastardly with a vicious tongue. "Tai, justly tackled by Agumon. Saviours in possession with Agumon blasting a pass down to Gabumon. Gabumon with possession, furiously swimming through the pool. Joe tackles him, but Gabumon keeps possession. Swift pass to T.K., oh come on Sora, don't tackle a digimon from behind! T.K. with the ball, Matt moving in on him- MOVE T.K. MOVE!! You didn't move but nice move in clearing the ball to the top of the pool. Wait, Keys is up there! Nice pass T.K.! Keys misses the ball and it soars out of the pool- he's following it!"

Keys broke through the top of the pool, the ball almost motionless in the air above his head as water dripped down from both the ball and his clothes and hair. Instinctively he flipped around and caught the ball with his foot, the force deforming the blitzball for several seconds as it splashed back into the pool, its speed decreasing only slightly.

"IT'S GOING FOR THE DESTROYER'S GOAL!" Mimi yelled in surprise. The ball curved as it zoomed through the water, approaching the goal from Kairi's lower right side, moving seamlessly past both Gomamon and Joe. Keys saw her get into position to block, but the Sphere Shot was true and zipped right past her right side into the goal.

"GOAL!!" Mimi yelled. "Goal for the Captain of The Saviours of Light! His second of the game to tie it up at 4! That was just a marvelous shot; I still can't believe that went in! A perfect Sphere Shot."

"All forwards and defence," Kairi began roaring, incensed at Keys tying the game once more, "keep him from scoring again! There's only two minutes left, and after that an easy five minute overtime to kill through. Once that's done the win is ours! He can't score on a penalty shot!" Keys glared at her for a second before returning to center.

"There's Tokomon's whistle, and here we go for the final minutes of this memorable blitzball match. Saviours in possession, and boy have they taken a beating recently; down a defenseman, with Izzy absent from the pool, and the rest of the team taking vicious attacks. Destroyers in possession now- Tai Kamiya with the ball, heading for the Saviours' goal." Tai ducked underneath a slow tackle that Agumon brought against him and swiftly passed the ball to Sora. She kicked the ball in a one-timer towards Palmon, who was just barely able to get control of the blitzball before it would have gone in. She sent a pass down towards Gabumon, but the wolf digimon had barely grabbed it before Joe nailed him with a kick in the ribs and stole the ball. He passed it off to Tai, who passed it to Matt, who hurriedly shuffled it off to Sora to try her one-timer again. But Keys got in the way this time and the ball was deflected slightly away from Sora so her kick sent it straight at Palmon in an easy save for the plant digimon. Palmon waited with the ball for a second, trying to figure out who to pass to.

"Palmon!" Keys yelled, watching the clock anxiously as it began ticking down into the final fifty seconds. Palmon nodded and sent the ball his way. His fingers had just managed to grab hold of the blitzball when he kicked his feet upwards to avoid a tag-team tackle of Sora and Joe. Keys quickly glanced at his remaining teammates.

"Cover me!" roared Keys. "I'm going for the goal! Trump Card time!" T.K., Agumon, and Gabumon all seemed to take new strength in his words and frantically fought back against their opponents.

"To me!" Kairi shrilly shrieked in Maleficent's voice. "To me! Hold the net with a wall!" Her team immediately abandoned its chase upon Keys and flew through the water towards their goal, but T.K., Gabumon, and Agumon were able to tie up Matt, Gomamon, and Joe long enough for Keys to reach the mid-point of the pool.

_Thirty seconds._

Keys reached scoring distance with Tai and Sora blocking the way in front of him. He knew Kairi was right. He couldn't score on penalty shots.

So he'd score now!

_Twenty seconds._

He let go of the ball and kicked it hard. It struck against Sora's right side and blasted her out of the way, while the blitzball itself rebounded right back at Keys. He punched it; his knuckles, already raw from swimming in the water for so long and tackling so often, scraped and began to bleed slightly from the force of the blow he gave the ball. It ripped through the water and smashed into Tai's chest, forcing the air out of him and knocking him down several feet while the ball itself soared higher into the water.

_Ten seconds._ The crowd was screaming in excitement. Loyalty no longer mattered as they all jumped up and down. The way was clear to the net, he could win it!

Keys swam up higher in a single bound and twisted his body into a nearly uncontrollable spin, impossibly fast for being underwater. His head swam as much as the water around him as his innards slowly squirmed their way to the edges of his skin and his breakfast wanted to make a quick and easy escape.

_Five seconds._

His spin slowed, and his ankle suddenly snapped out against the descending blitzball, striking it with the force of a mountain behind it. A sharp crack came from the ball as it sped towards the net.

_Three._

Kairi's eyes were wide in horror and shock. The girl knew of this shot even though Maleficent didn't. But how-?

_One._

She didn't even move to try and go for the ball that was now spinning rapidly to the right of her head as the buzzer blared.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" Mimi yelled hoarsely, trying with all her might not to be drowned out by the tidal wave of noise from the crowd. "GOAL! GOAL FOR KEYS! He's done the seemingly impossible here today with a hat trick to win the game at five to four. This is going to be talked about for ages! What's the name of that shot anyway?"

Kairi gave a half smile with her eyes closed as every player including a newly returned Izzy rushed at Keys and brought him into a multi-limbed bear hug. She had been fairly defeated in the game, despite her best efforts. And Maleficent didn't even mind. It had been fun, to play with them for once, and there wasn't the threat of death hanging over her head for being defeated.

"Now then Maleficent…" Keys said, managing to disentangle himself from the group hug and the entire party gathered behind him.

Yes, she'd had fun, but did that mean she'd still honor the terms of the agreement between herself and the keyblade master concerning the fate of the possessed girl she controlled?

No.

"I reject the terms of the offer," she replied slowly. Keys only grinned.

"I thought you might say something like that," he mused as the tags that hung around both his and Kairi's necks began to glow. The goals on each side glowed in golden light and the patterns etched on them removed themselves from the membranes. The crowd hushed as the two crests shrunk to fit into the tags and approached the two keyblade wielders.

"What is this?" Maleficent asked in outrage, knowing full well the answer anyway. She turned her dark gaze onto the master of the keyblade and snarled at his smirking face. He had swindled and cheated her! Somehow the insolent boy had known that both crests had lain within the pool. Kairi's crest, a magnificently radiating star over a full moon on a blue background, slid within the tag that was upon her chest and suddenly shone with a brilliant light just as the seven pointed star upon Keys' silver crest slid within his tag.

The crests of Valour and Virtue.

Keys unfolded his arms and spread himself wide reveling in the feeling of power that flowed within him. Now he knew why it had seemed so familiar, the power of his crest was his own power, it had been a part of him, taken away from the day that the digital world sensed he would arrive to help save it and the rest of the worlds.

The yellow that had haunted the irises of Kairi's eyes dimmed as blue flared into existence into them as Kairi's own strength equally was returned to her. Now there was a real challenge to Maleficent's control, Kairi was on equal footing with her now, and it was taking all of her mental prowess to try and keep the young princess in check; the key word being try. Against the sorceress' will the girl reached down into a fold in her skirt and withdrew a single white charm as her body became less vertical and more horizontal.

"Ordona!" Kairi's voice issued from her mouth as she tossed the charm into the water, her plea full of hope and desperation.

A single drop of water struck against the top of the sphere pool, and from the drop a ring of water droplets left the water, another drop in the center jumping up higher than the ring. That single drop grew into a glowing orb that lowered into the pool to the level in which Kairi was swimming. Golden light pulsed around it before melting into a radiant white with twilight-silver lines running around in an intricate parallel network. The orb gave a pulse of its light once more and then it became known that it sat suspended by invisible force in the center of a hoop of golden horns. The horns attached themselves to the head of a great mystical goat, made up entirely of light. The goat's body took form, swirls of the silvery lines adorning its body and covering a circular fish-like tail. The spirit of light stood in the midst of the water, the light shining from him drawing awed looked from every digimon still in the crowd.

Kairi was now more or less horizontal, her crest floating just above her and shining in a golden light. Kairi opened her mouth as her crest sent a pulse of golden light into her.

"_Vadenelyë i umûl! Kírië, Unórs!"_

Ordona bayed loudly in response and the orb that hovered in the middle of his antlers glowed brilliantly. Shafts of white light erupted from the orb and streaked towards Kairi, bending and twisting along the way as the girl herself began to glow with her own white light. A primeval scream in Maleficent's voice issued from Kairi's mouth for a final time as the combined lights struck her, and then it faded away as a dark shadow leapt off of Kairi and disintegrated in the intensifying light. Kairi shone even brighter, like the brightest living star in the dead dark of night. Keys had to cover his eyes, for she was shining so brightly.

The light dimmed and Keys removed his shielding arm. He gaped at Kairi as she now floated before them. Her hair and skin glowed with an inner radiance that beautified her. Her top and skirt had melted away from the dark colours that before had been within the fabric, and which, in his opinion, had made Kairi look hot (or if he'd been more daring to even admit it to his mind, sexy). Now they were a complete, untainted white, also her boots had become the very same white. The new white upon her allowed her inner and outer beauty to shine brilliantly, and Keys felt himself falling in love all over again. Not to say nothing that she was wearing white and they were underwater, but her clothes had seemed to compensate for this, and, thankfully, instead of sticking to her body and becoming see-through; which truthfully would have made Keys blush and force his eyes away, her top instead remained in its brilliant whiteness, letting no colour recede from nor enter it, keeping the girl's dignity unspoiled.

Her eyes fluttered open and Ordona vanished in a streak of light. She looked directly at Keys, who still had his mouth open wide, finding it dry.

"Ka-Kairi?" he asked uncertainly, even though he knew it to be her by the clearness of her eyes. Kairi smiled and swam up to him, the digimon and digidestined inching out of her way. She got to within two feet of him before she stopped and her smile slipped off her face and her eyes flared with conflicting emotions. Keys winced at the look she gave him.

"How-?" Kairi started to splutter incoherently, enraged at him. "Why would you do something so stup-? Don't you realize you could've been-? What if your infallible luck-? That was the most insane, noble, desperate-" She spouted constantly, and Keys was trying to make sense of any of the emotions that were swirling around within the young woman's mind. She threw her arms up high and he cringed backwards, but the roar of rage he had expected faltered and came out in a laugh.

"By Thessaura I _love_ you!" Kairi at last shrieked, closing the gap with him in an instant and locking her lips square on his.

"Well, well, well," Mimi's voice came through on the megaphone once more as the two teens in the pool expressed their love, "it looks like we have a little bit of romance unfolding within the sphere pool."

Kairi released her lips from his, the tangy taste of her tongue glued onto his taste buds even after it had left. She withdrew her head and looked at him with a bemused expression, which Keys chuckled slightly at.

"That was a 'Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III' right?" she asked. "When did you learn how to do it?"

Keys laughed. "Every day when I was four I bugged the heck out of Tidus' old man for two months straight until he agreed to show me how to do it just to shut me up. Failed every time I tried until two years ago, but I never had the guts to try to do it in front of Tidus ever since his dad went missing."

"What did you call that shot again?" Tai asked. Keys and Kairi laughed.

"The Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III," they replied.

"If that's a Mark III, I wonder what the Mark I and Mark II are like," Gabumon said.

"There is no Mark I or II," Keys replied through another laugh. "Jecht said that Mark III was just a crowd-catcher. Every game people would keep coming back to see if he would do a Mark I or II, but he never did and they still came in droves, because he was the best. 'Nobody else can do it, I'm the best.'"

Kairi raised her eyebrow and looked at the blitzball as it still spun in the net. "The best? Yeah, right." The ball suddenly glowed with a bright light and for the first time in what seemed like ages the Oathkeeper appeared in her hands. She looked at Keys and he nodded approvingly.

Kairi unlocked the gateway, and she turned to Keys, who nodded.

"Back to the changing rooms," he announced.

* * *

Maleficent pounded her fist on the black table in front of her, nearly upsetting the thick register. Kairi had thwarted her! In all her power she had been stopped by the pitiful princess of light! Sedah walked into the room as she seethed, and he immediately cowered when she turned her infuriated gaze on him.

He had abandoned her and left the game open to manipulation. Sedah had been her trump card in keeping Kairi under her control by keeping Sora's influence to a minimum, and he had left at the first sign of trouble! Oh how she wanted to kill him right then and there.

But he would still serve some use to her. Doubtless, the princess and her guardian would flee the digital world before letting her wrath at their escape claim that world. She would dispatch Sedah to reveal their location to her, and then together they would bear down upon the pair in some distant world, far from the help of their friends which had often saved their lives.

And then she would leave Bara-dûr and consolidate herself within the Ash Mountains to the northwest. A small spur from those mountains in Mordor's northern border stretched south and converged with another spur that ran southwest from where the Mountains of Shadow and the Ash Mountains met. The initial convergence occurred in the land's extreme northwest, where stood the Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth, guarding the vale of Udun, which was flanked on both sides by the aforementioned spurs, which when met were guarded by a wall known as the Isenmouthe. She had seen many numerous armouries and barracks for Sauron's hordes within Udun and tunnels delved deeply into the spurs of the Mountains of Shadow and Ash Mountains that enclosed the valley. She had dwelled long on the thought of those tunnels and fortresses among the mountains, and she wanted her own, one that would rival the greatest underground kingdom of this world.

She would set up her base on the eastern side of those mountains, deep in the southern confines of the Ash Mountains, away from Udun and the orcs.

Deep in those tunnels, once delved, should Sora and Kairi manage to survive the attack to come, no one would hear their screams.

* * *

"Piximon I don't understand it," Keys said as they all stood outside of the stadium. "Why can't I maintain my trance for more than a few seconds?"

"Look wielder," Piximon replied agitatedly, having gone through this with the stubborn boy for the last five minutes, "you are young and inexperienced. Consider yourself lucky that you're even able to do it at all! Stop expecting so much of yourself!"

"But it worked when you attacked me," Keys muttered quietly.

"That's because I brought you into conflict when you were already in the trance," Piximon said tiredly. "To be at peace and to then consciously go out into a fight takes a lot of concentration. You are not yet capable of doing so! Just practice, and it will come to you!"

"But for how long?" Keys retorted.

"Weeks, months, I don't know!" Piximon retaliated. "It all depends on the person, yup yup. Just keep going and trying. The only advice I could give you would be to try and get yourself into that state of being right before the first blow is struck, and then you'll already be in it like when I tested you."

"Thanks Piximon," Keys said, already spinning on his heel to rejoin the digidestined, who were all waiting in a group.

"Wait, shouldn't you hear my warning first?" Piximon yelled after him. But Keys was already out of earshot, or at least he didn't turn around, but he did stop so Piximon ploughed on. "It's a very dangerous move, you'd be letting your guard down for a few crucial seconds, and even if you reach your inner self in time you may not be able to block or parry quickly enough." Keys' head moved very slightly in a nod before he continued to walk away.

He reached the digidestined and digimon, all assembled to wish them off in their regular attire.

"So where are you two off to?" Tai asked.

"I talked it over with Keys," Kairi said. "And before we go to our next world we're going to see our home with our own eyes."

"So Destiny Islands," Keys answered, moving to stand next to the auburn-haired beauty. She smiled at him as he stood next to her and her arm sneaked around his back to clutch at his jacketed shoulder. Aiwemon flew and perched himself on the other, and Menelmon stood next to Kairi's booted feet.

"Best of luck then," Mimi said hoarsely, she had thrown her voice out from commentating. Kairi flicked her hand and a swirling portal of light opened behind them.

"We'll see each other again," Sora said confidently. "After all, we're all digidestined." Keys smiled and nodded.

"Bye Sora, Bye Kairi!" Tokomon called. "Bye Menelmon! Bye Aiwemon!"

"I'll see you again Tokomon," Aiwemon said. "Remember, we have some unfinished business when you're Patamon again."

And the four turned into the portal, their friends wishing them luck and a healthy return.

"By the way Kairi," Sora asked as he threw off his mantle of 'Keys', "what was that you said back in the sphere pool after you called Ordona?" Kairi looked at him in confusion.

"I have no clue," she muttered as they walked through the corridor of starlight.

* * *

An hour later they emerged from the corridor, and were shocked at what they saw before them.

The town was gone. Completely gone as if it had never existed. There was no debris, no broken buildings, no standing buildings either, and not a single slab or speck of wood or stonework that had represented the civilization that used to exist here. The four stood in the midst of a field of green grass, rolling in the wind with yellow flowers occasionally dotting the landscape.

"Are you sure you got the world right Kairi?" Sora asked, unnerved by the appearance of the land. She turned her head and looked at him.

"Positive," replied the princess. Her eyes quivered for a second, showing her own apprehension about the scene. "See look, there's the beach… and that's our island." Sora followed her gaze and nodded, seeing the small island in the distance, its mountainous hill broken. Something wasn't right about this, or at least it didn't add up at all.

Taking one step forward, he established his bearings from the sight of the island and turned around, towards where their town should have been. He looked down at his feet, the cobblestones of the former road still existed, but grass had managed to work its way between each of the stones and the path gained a slightly rugged appearance. There should have been houses to his left and right, as well as lights, benches, and lampposts lining the road, but there was nothing.

The feeling of foreboding increased when they passed by the site where his house should have stood, but he saw nothing there apart from the phantom of his home. He saw the ghost of the mahogany door, with its intricate carvings etched into the wood, and he forced his eyes to wring the tear that desperately wanted to fall and keep it silent.

"What happened here?" he asked aloud, moving past the house that no longer existed.

They continued somberly up the road, their hearts wringing with every familiar place or landmark that had previously been real, but now only existed in their memories. It was worse than what they would have though seeing the destruction would've been. There on the side of the road had been the ice-cream parlour, where they had once had a contest to see who could go the longest before succumbing to the brain-freeze, in which Kairi had won against the seven participants but regretted it immediately after. And over there had been the corner store that Riku's parents had run, and right next to it the fabric store, where Kairi's mother had worked. They passed by a park that they had played at and strolled through when they were younger. Sora's heart plummeted when he saw that all the trees that had stood were gone, even along the boulevards and in the yards not a single tower of nature stood. Yet, there were small saplings in the places where the trees had stood; even small groves where none had been before. There was the corner of the row of houses upon which Kairi's home had stood, and Sora had rounded it twice to save her from that bully Bob.

They crested the hill that had overlooked their school in silence, and from this vantage point they would have been able to see much of the rest of the town, but nothing lay in front of them now apart from the rolling grasslands and budding trees that had somehow been planted and taken shape.

Sora bowed his head and looked away, but something he had somehow missed caught his eye. He nudged Kairi, pointing, and she followed him down the cobblestone road, which was slowly becoming better maintained as they walked it. Then they were upon it. Flower beds and baskets surrounded a square paved of marble; a circular white marble pedestal was placed just shy of the center of the square where upon it stood a figure bending down on one knee and holding a sword defiantly against the likeness of an Invisible heartless, the Invisible in black marble and the figure in white. Behind the pedestal stood three white marble walls that created an alcove around the pedestal. On the center wall and the pedestal plaques stood.

"These monuments are dedicated to the people of the island of Felra of Destiny Islands," Kairi read quietly from the plaque on the pedestal, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. "Those who died and lost their hearts here on the 31st of August, 2003, were the first true casualties in the war for freedom over the darkness."

"In memory of all those who have died upon this island," Sora read from the center wall's plaque, fighting back his own tears. "Their spirits are at peace with Grenth. May Dwayna's light guide the souls of their descendants." He spotted his mother's name early on in the list of the dead or lost that spanned the three walls, and he clutched onto Kairi tighter, finally letting the tears fall when the truth came undeniably crashing down on him.

Kairi hugged him, sobbing as well when spotting her parents' names in the list. They didn't need to look again to know that many of their friends and people they had known were now gone, that they'd never see those smiling, friendly faces again.

Aiwemon and Menelmon hung back slightly, feeling out of place and intruding on their grief. A small noise reached their keen ears and their heads turned around to spot a woman with blue hair and wearing a black cloak approaching. Her cloak was caked with patches of dry mud and tattered in some places. They watched the woman as she slowly approached, her head dipped in respect.

The sound of the woman's boots slapping on the cobblestones reached the ears of the two grieving teenagers and their sobs turned silent as both of them lifted their heads to look at her.

"Cossex," they each said slowly in recognition and sadness. The Nobody nodded her head at them and respectfully kept her distance.

Kairi glanced back at the memorial and then at the Nobody in front of them. "You did this?" she asked.

Cossex nodded. "I did," she replied. "I was ashamed at what I had done, with nothing to show for it apart from the grief and blood of innocents on my hands. My heart was withheld from me, Maleficent knows where it is but she would not reveal its location to me. I was a mere pawn in her games, a pawn that shattered the peaceful lives of so many who did not deserve this fate."

Sora gulped and Cossex looked at him in his weakness, she couldn't bear to look into his eyes at that moment.

"You," he began in a strangled voice, "you were the one who killed them, weren't you?"

"Yes," Cossex breathed, turning her head away once more. "Like many things that happen in the past, I regret it. At least be comforted in knowing that they were not turned into heartless and nobodies. Such a fate is worse than death."

They were all silent for a time. Cossex couldn't look at the two shaking teenagers. They were strong, she knew, but in as many ways they were just as frail as any human. She could tell that they still held their innocence. Neither had truly seen death, and neither had yet been forced to kill another living creature. They were as innocent as any child she had ever known back in Ascalon, like poor sweet Gwen.

Alas for Gwen! Who knew what had become of her now since the day when the sky rained hellfire and destroyed Ascalon? Since the day when it had been turned into a hellhole that was rank with foul creatures from the Catacombs and Charr from the north.

"What are we to do now?" Kairi asked quietly, a tremble of weakness in her voice.

"What do your hearts tell you?" Cossex answered. Sora and Kairi glanced at Cossex before sharing a long look with each other.

They knew they could not blame Cossex for the tragedy that had occurred on this island, she had simply been following the orders of her master. And even though she was a nobody, she had shown that she still had a conscience even without her heart.

What were their hearts telling them? That there was only one thing to do. And two words summed it up in Sora's mind.

"Hakuna Matata," he said quietly. A laugh suddenly sprung from the deepest depths of his bosom, and after the first burst it proved nearly impossible for him to keep a straight face.

Cossex and Kairi both raised eyebrows at him while Aiwemon hopped anxiously towards his partner.

Sora gave another bout of laughter before he was able to calm himself down enough to talk. "No worries," he explained. "Bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about them, so don't worry about the past, letting it drag you down, and move on."

"Then let's move onto a certainty," Cossex said, striding towards the two of them, "The defeat of Maleficent." Sora and Kairi nodded grimly in determination and Cossex extended her hand towards them.

"I officially renounce the evil ways of the witch and pledge my support to the side of light," she announced. The two took her hand together and shook it. "May Dwayna's light keep our path before our feet and Balthazar keep our weapons keen."

"May Thessaura's light keep us shielded from darkness," Kairi replied, releasing the hand of the nobody. Sora nodded.

"May we weather the storms Calypso sends our way," he added. Kairi and Cossex looked at him. His expression became confused as they raised their eyebrows.

"What?" he asked.

* * *

Still within the seemingly endless deserts of the continent of Server, the digidestined had stumbled upon a grey box that stood alone in the midst of the rolling sands. Numerous black cables from Etemon's dark network led into the box, which had given Izzy the belief that it was an access terminal for storing data that helped the monkey's surveillance over the area. They were all gathered around the terminal, wondering what to do with it when a portal of darkness whooshed open behind them. They turned towards it in apprehension, and a solid figure rushed out of it, sword bared. He tackled Sora to the ground, and kicked her slightly away from the group, his sword's tip moving to rest almost against her chin as she lay on her back.

"Where are the keyblade master and his princess?" Sedah growled, his sword slowly getting closer to the soft flesh of the girl's neck.

Tai and the others couldn't bear to look at anyone other than Sedah or Sora in their horror.

"Where are they?" Sedah bellowed. The digidestined and digimon said nothing, and their faces slowly took on a measure of defiance. Sedah snarled and wrenched his sword back, and with a roar prepared to swing it hard and end the life of the female digidestined.

Their resilience snapped like a twig. Tai reached out his hand and cried "Stop!" just as Sedah's sword was millimeters from Sora's chest. The boy dropped to the ground, his hands on his knees, and did not look up at Sedah.

"They're on Destiny Islands," he mumbled weakly, ashamed of his betrayal. "Please, just don't hurt Sora." Sedah smirked and vanished in a portal he conjured immediately.

"I hope they can handle themselves," Izzy said quietly.

"Because a big storm is heading their way," Matt finished.

* * *

Maleficent paced within her study that would soon be vacated, Diablo cawing occasionally from his perch on the ominous window. She waited for Sedah's return, and would then depart with him to the location in which Sora and Kairi were hiding. She had already sent Starscream and an entire legion of heartless to begin delving the tunnels of her fortress, and she was certain that with the Decepticon's powerful weaponry combined with the powers of darkness that the heartless held would be able to get a satisfactory amount of work done in time for her arrival with her captives.

She would not admit that she was anxious, apprehensive even; possibly even hesitant at engaging Sora and Kairi. She had not personally charged herself with keeping a hold on Kairi's body, and in not doing so she was unsure of the power of light that the girl held. Plus, Sora had become more formidable, even though she would not recognize his growth.

The swirl of a portal opening sounded and Maleficent sharply brought her head around to see Sedah exiting it as the portal came to a sudden close. His sword was drawn, and there wasn't a speck of blood on it.

"The brats squealed as soon as it looked like I was really going to kill one of them," he announced with a smile.

"You answer with an idle tongue Hades," Maleficent snapped. "Where are they?"

"Destiny Islands."

* * *

Sora and Kairi had left Aiwemon and Menelmon behind to let them soar the skies on their small wings and take in the land that had been their home. Cossex wandered away on her own, trying not to think of how much this island now resembled what had once been her home. Sora and Kairi, though, had one last place to look upon before they left the world: the small play island where they had spent countless hours.

They flew over to the island, as the boats that had previously been tied up at the beach were all destroyed. No words were spoken between the two, each internalizing their grief at how bleak and dismal the situation seemed even with a former enemy now an ally.

They landed, and the shores that had once been pearl-white and filled with soft sand were now broken, and littered with cracked rocks. To Sora it seemed like it had been during the final battle with Xehanort's heartless, when the island had been broken and tendrils of darkness had wrecked havoc upon what he had known and cherished. Except now it truly hit home, for it was real, and not a whimsical conjuration of an enemy that was now long gone except for its existence within his best friend's heart. Great holes had been gouged or burned in the wooden catwalks and mighty trees that had served as imposing sentinels, standing defiantly alongside the rocky outcrop that served as a mountain on such a small piece of land. Dead and tattered palm leaves were scattered over the stones, sand, and pieces of wood. The waterfall pool had been broken and blocked by a large boulder, and yet the water still meagerly trickled out to sea. The hole to the tunnel of the secret place was shattered, as if it had been blasted open by the most powerful forces of nature, and the vines that had concealed it were dead and withering to brown in the sun's harsh light.

And yet the upper catwalk that led to the tiny islet where Sora and Riku had often sparred and the paopu tree rested was still intact, as was the islet and that sacred tree. Rocks had managed to worm their way even then onto it, some even from the Secret Place.

Sora and Kairi silently made their way to the bent tree, each in wonderment and anguish at the transformation that had occurred to their quaint, out of the way world. Sora leaned up against the base of the trunk of the tree, where he had often been before, and looked out to sea, the conversation he and Riku had had playing through his mind. From that place, if he turned his head casually to the left, he would see Felra, whereas if he looked to the right, Dunash would rise on the waves. He didn't look in either direction though, opting instead to gaze into the endless oceans in front of him.

"Things have changed Riku," he whispered quietly. Kairi nodded beside him as she sat where she usually did on the tree's trunk.

"But what will the changes bring?" she asked. "Hope and Light? Or Darkness and Despair?"

"I pray it's the former," Sora replied. Kairi sighed and nodded once more.

"Me too," she whispered, anxiously wringing her hands against the trunk of the tree. She looked away, towards a door that led to another part of the island, where Sora had first taught her magic. "I'm going to check out the Cove," she said. "Want to come with?"

Sora shook his head. "No, I'm going to stay here. I have some thinking I want to do." Kairi nodded approvingly and leapt off the trunk. She paused in front of Sora and gave him a worried glance.

"Don't stay too long," she said. His face melted slightly as he looked at her.

"Okay," said Sora. Kairi gave the slightest of nods and walked away.

She didn't like being there, at the tree. It had been the main place, the spot of greatest importance in her dream. The rock where she and Sora had drawn sharing paopu fruits had been in her dream, embedded within the trunk of one of the palm trees that had survived, and it was here now. The sight gave her a sense of foreboding and she shivered. She opened the door to the Cove and went inside, looking around at the broken catwalks, wooden towers, felled trees, and zip line that had provided an obstacle course through which Sora and Riku would often race, usually for her favour. Riku could never have known back then that all she and he would ever get to is simple flirting, that her heart rested with Sora.

She shuddered once more as the thought of what might soon happen here came back. Thessaura had said that her dream was the future, and like the future, certain things were set in stone whilst others were open to speculation. But what was truly set down and what could be manipulated and changed? Every circumstance that she had seen in her tormenting dreams was different, and she had told Sora nothing of the dreams, she hadn't even told him that Sedah was Hades.

Because she was afraid, afraid of what was going to happen, or what might happen. Her confidence in herself and her powers had vanished ever since she had gone to the digital world and fought against Maleficent, and the fight for control over her own body had given her doubts. The power that she felt coming from the crest was her own power, was her own light. But, the light wasn't strong enough. The darkness was still greater, and looked as if it would always be greater.

_So what do we do now?_ Kairi thought. _Even with my crest, I'm still weaker. We're all weaker. Maleficent is stronger, Nixion is stronger, and there are hordes of heartless out there under their control. Roxas and Naminé have already been hurt, when will it be our turn? What will happen to Menelmon and Aiwemon? All our foes are more powerful than us, how will we win?_

"Oh what are we going to do?" Kairi moaned in despair, bending her legs and sitting down.

"What are you going to do?"

Kairi whipped around at the voice, but a strong hand was already on her shoulder, a red mist billowing out from the connection.

* * *

Aiwemon and Menelmon were flying over the beach on the main island of Felra, the wind ruffling through their feathers as they felt the joy of flight, even in the somber atmosphere they felt. The feeling came not from that which their partners felt, but rather from something in the air. The land itself seemed to be in mourning still, but the air crackled with intensity and the seas raked into the beaches with impunity, indifferent to the plight of the land or the feeling of the air.

A storm was brewing quickly and the two bird digimon knew it was not a natural one. The three elements were not in harmony. Granted, the sea and land were never on good terms and the wind changed sides as often as it changed direction. There was an ominous feeling about it all as the sky slowly became overcast and blocked out the sun.

"Hey digital birds!" The two looked down at Cossex, who was the one who had hailed them, and swooped down.

"I know we don't know each other very well," Menelmon said quickly, landing on the ground next to the female nobody, "having just met, but what's the problem Cossex?"

"And 'digimon', if you please," Aiwemon added. Cossex shook her head and looked towards the island.

"Go find your partners," she said, a lack of emotion evident in her voice for the first time. "And stay with them. Keep them safe."

"Why?" asked Menelmon. "What's going on?" Cossex turned and look at them again as a portal of darkness opened behind her.

"The enemy is here," she answered. Then she dashed into the portal. The two digimon needed no more encouragement as they took to their wings again and soared towards the small island. The wind had become harsher in the span of the few seconds that they had stayed on the ground, and it buffeted the two small bird digimon around enough that it took them twice as long to reach the island. The wind also raged in their ears, and their hearing could barely discern any sound other than the winds around them and the waves below. But one sound broke through, the sharp ring of metal. And their eyes were keen, and as soon as they reached the outskirts of the island they could see some things that were occurring even while the wind still assailed them. Kairi sat by the paopu tree, and there was another person with her, but it wasn't Sora and they couldn't make out who it was just yet. Sora was spotted running away towards a large hole in the stone wall. The two small birds looked at each other and decided that Sora running away was more suspicious and without hesitation began descending towards him.

* * *

He had been standing right where he had stayed since Kairi left. His mind was cluttered and needed reorganizing, spinning and whirling with so many thoughts and feelings that he felt like he was caught in a vice. So many had died here, had lost their hearts here, that Sora didn't know what to do about their sacrifice, and the fate of the other islands had escaped him as of yet, but there was a sneaking suspicion that they had been spared. The monument only mentioned the people of _this_ island, not all the islands of the world. He still refused to look to the right, fearing that his fears might become a reality if he looked.

And that made his heart burn even more with the desire for justice to be done against Maleficent. Only they had been targeted, because Maleficent had wanted to get at him.

_Everything she has done recently has been to get at me,_ he thought. _Destroying my home, striking the homes of my friends, killing my mother, taking control of Kairi, it's all been to get at me. Am I stronger to just stand here and take it all, rather than fight back against a foe whose power I cannot hope to match?_ He snorted defiantly into the wind while the sun still shone on against his back.

"She ever tries to break my heart or destroy my body; I have suffered everything fortune has sent my way and I still stand to resist against her. So let her try, even though she is more powerful than I."

He felt a pair of hands gently touch his shoulder, and began rubbing in a circle against his muscles. They suddenly removed a knot that had been in there from playing blitzball that he hadn't noticed, and he sighed appreciatively in comfort and contentment while his eyes closed. He was glad that Kairi was still here beside him. The world had turned so strange recently, an intense fervor and feel of darkness hung in the air and the seas raged below him. Everything seemed dark around him, but here his light was, gently massaging his shoulders.

Speaking of which, one hand had left his shoulders and the other had become tense. He opened his eyes and looked down at their shadows. His eyes widened and he spun around in the blink of an eye, the Oblivion suddenly appearing in his hands. There was the sharp ring of the sound of clashing metal and the Oblivion blocked the dagger Kairi held, poised to strike against him. The dagger dropped to the ground with a soft thud, the gleam it had held dying as the sun vanished behind the clouds. He looked into her eyes in horror, and found them cold and unfeeling. Sora released the Oblivion from his grasp and once more felt his head reeling with too many thoughts and questions in anguish.

He bolted from the island, his sorrow unbearable. There was only one place he could find his solace now: The Secret Place, where he could hide and wallow in his self-pity safely.

_No!_ Sora thought as he scrambled towards the hole in pain. _No! Why would Kairi try to kill me? What could I have done wrong? Her eyes were clear and blue. Why, why, why??_

"Sora!" "Keys!"

He looked up, trying to hide the tears he hadn't noticed were streaming down his face, and saw Aiwemon and Menelmon flying haphazardly towards him, the wind seemingly attempting its best to throw them to the ground. They landed next to him and Aiwemon immediately spotted the stains on his cheeks.

"Sora, what's wrong?" he asked, cutting right to the point. The boy shook his head.

"Nothing," he answered, probably too quickly.

"Nothing my wing," Aiwemon retorted. "Why are you here, by yourself?"

"Without Kairi," Menelmon added. Keys looked away, his eyes brimming again. Everything had dimmed, and not just in the loss of the sun. When before there had still been some light in his world there was now nothing but blackness. Kairi had turned against him and tried to kill him for reasons unknown to him, and this time it was worse than the past two days. There was no logical explanation. He felt the darkness closing in around his heart, clutching at him, trying to take him and snuff out what little light he had left.

He was spared from answering and the darkness slowed its march when a portal of darkness opened behind him. He looked apprehensively at the portal, and his fears still weren't dispelled when he saw Cossex walk out. She was holding something in her hand and she looked pointedly at Sora.

"Maleficent had told Nixion and myself everything about your previous quests," she said, taking a step towards him. "I found this just inside the entrance to the place you and your friends called 'The Cove'. I thought it might be familiar to you after I picked it up." Right now Sora could care less about what she found, but it wasn't until she opened her hand and he saw it that it caught his eye.

It was a wooden statue of Kairi. The sight triggered something in his memory. He took the statue from Cossex and suddenly felt an electric force like one he had felt once before shocking him while Kairi's voice played through his ears.

"_Sora, don't ever change."_

"_This time, I'll protect you."_

"_You promise?"_

"_Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."_

"_I know you will!"_

"_We'll be together every day, right Sora?"_

"_I love you."_

"_I'll be damned if I let any more…"_

"_I love you."_

"_One sky, One destiny."_

"_By Thessaura I _love_ you!"_

His head stopped spinning and he understood entirely. The world no longer seemed so dark and the light returned, growing from the statue he held. His face hardened in righteous fury and he glared back towards the islet he had just left.

"Is someone with Kairi right now?" he asked, his voice shaking in his rage that the girl he loved was being used to get at them both again! When would they leave Kairi alone?

"We couldn't see for sure," Aiwemon answered quickly. "But I thought I saw a bit of blue-"

Sora was off in a flash, the Oblivion reappearing in his grasp with a flash of bright light while he held the statuette in his left. The digimon needed no prodding to follow when they saw him like that and took flight beside him. Cossex hung back, a slight smile on her face.

"This is their battle," she said to herself.

Sora and the digimon reached the catwalk to the islet easily, and they spotted Kairi on the bent paopu tree, Sedah standing next to her, a yellow paopu fruit in his hands. The bird behind him with the white-covered head and brown feathers started glowing.

"Aiwemon digivolved to, Ohtarmon!"

"Sora," the warrior spoke. "This isn't the digital world. I'm not going to be as powerful here as I was there, and I may revert back to Aiwemon before this battle's done." Sora nodded curtly in front of him, acknowledging his partner's feelings.

He pointed the Oblivion towards Sedah, the metal's temperature already plunging before the blast of ice even erupted from its tip. The shard streaked straight for Sedah and dug into his back. Sora grinned when he saw the paopu fall before it could reach the disguised God's lips. Sedah whipped around and glared at him and his companions.

"Get away from her you bastard," growled Sora, his face set. For once his hair dared not interfere. "Hades, I should have known it was you all along. The clues were right in front of my face."

"So the keyblader _finally_ figured it out," Hades roared with a chuckle as his disguise melted away and he drew his brute sword, rimmed entirely with black fire now. "You know you're pretty slow for a hero, maybe you really should go back to being a Junior Hero." Sora dipped his head down.

"Some hero I am," he muttered. "Please forgive me Kairi, and let me make amends." His head rose once more and he flew straight across the catwalk. A large fireball came from Hades' hands towards him, but Keys was faster and the fireball missed to be batted away by Ohtarmon. Sora tossed the figurine of Kairi into the air, and both those who were on the islet looked at it in surprise. Hades' face also showed his outrage. The statue exploded in a bright light and sparkles of white drifted down from where it had used to be and landed on Kairi. Her face gained a surprised expression, and then it hardened. She grabbed the paopu fruit away from the ground, checked Hades in the hip- the highest point on the god her shoulder could reach- and dashed over to the edge of the catwalk, where Sora, Ohtarmon, and Menelmon stood and waited.

"Forgive me Sora," Kairi said, her voice downcast as she stood next to him. "I wasn't in cont-"

"You had your free will taken away," Sora interrupted. "I saw it happen to Auron. And if you can forgive me for whipping you, the least I can do is forgive you for trying to kill me." Kairi smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. She extended the paopu fruit towards him.

"Would- would you like to?" she asked in stuttering words, offering the star-shaped fruit towards him. Sora looked at it for less than a second but to him it seemed like a lifetime.

There was already a bite missing from it, and a dribble of juice was running down the side of Kairi's lip.

This was the biggest thing they could ever do, at least in theory, apart from marrying. The legend said that when two people shared a paopu fruit, their destinies would be intertwined forever and through eternity. But he didn't need a second thought. He wanted Kairi in his life, he didn't know if he could live if she was gone.

Sora took the fruit and bit into it, savouring every flavour and drop of juice that sat on his tongue. It tasted better than any food he had ever tried, and the texture of the fruit's skin was more pleasurable than a nicely grilled steak.

He let go of the fruit as Kairi suddenly hugged him, but the hug was brief. Hades had unleashed a fireball at them, and Ohtarmon had gotten in its way and protected them with his mace.

"Right," Sora said. "Battle, right…"

"Yeah…" Kairi added, suddenly remembering what was going on around them, "right. Hades, yes." She turned her head and looked at Menelmon. "You ready for this Menelmon?"

"Let me at him," the female digimon replied. "I'll teach him to hurt my partner! Menelmon digivolved to, Soronmon!"

"Well," Hades began saying, looking at the ferocious foursome, "much though I'd like to stay and fight you alone, I have a friend who'd love to meet three of you and say hello to his old buddy." The ground started rumbling, and cracks began appearing in the earth just off of the islet where they stood. The catwalk collapsed and the whole islands shook as a guttural roar of a dog ripped through the howling air. The sky flashed with lightning and rain started to fall. Fires roared into existence from beneath the cracking stone, and the ground abruptly exploded, the dog's howl tearing through the storm once more, and yet it sounded now like it was more than one dog. Through the cloud of dust, shattered rocks, and rain that fell through the sky, and in the light of the fires that raged around it, Sora was able to discern the recognizable shape of a beast of the Underworld that he had fought several times with Donald, Goofy, and Auron. Its black fur shone with the beads of the rain and its massive muscles rippled. The six red eyes of its three heads located Sora and its jaws snapped, recognizing him in anger.

Hades had summoned forth Cerberus, his Guardian of the Underworld.

* * *

Upon the broken crags of the island where the battle was about to commence, Maleficent stood with Diablo upon her shoulder. She gazed down to where Cerberus stood, braying at the keyblade master, his princess of heart, and their digimon. The battle between the forces of good and evil was about to unfold, and she was certain that, should Hades fail, she herself would prevail after stepping in when her opponents were weakened from the fight.

She didn't know that Cossex was also watching. And while the nobody that had formerly been in her employ knew that Maleficent was there and watching as well, neither knew that a certain family of Dunash had become unnerved by the earthquake caused by the arrival of Cerberus and the sudden storm that had stuck their islands. Storms appeared randomly and often without warning on tropical islands, and were often fiercer than expected. But this one felt different even to these people, and even though it was mid-afternoon the sky was as dark as the night nearly a month ago, and the same feeling of evil permeated through the air. However, now they felt it centered around the small island. This family was brave beyond all reason, and the married couple and son had become proud of their nephew and cousin that the husband's sister had spoken of about a month ago before all communications with Felra were suddenly cut off. They were now harnessing and bridling their chocobos, preparing to weather the storm and discover what was occurring on the small island.

Maybe it had something to do with that relative of theirs that they hadn't seen in so long that the household boy's aunt had spoken of. Maybe it had something to do with Sora.

* * *

_Yeah, I'm leaving you here. Kill me if you wish, I can take it._

_You see that little word that says 'Complete' up there. It's no lie._

_I'll be back when I get back. Prepare for __**The War**__, and await my return. It's going to be big._

_BTW, if you guys really want to know what Kairi said way up there, just send me a PM and I'll translate for you. Or if I get enough requests (10+) I'll just put the translation down at the bottom here._

**Translations:**

_Vadenelyë i umûl! Kírië, Unórs! _(Kairi. "I am banishing the darkness! Light, fill it!)

_**May the Grace of the Valar Protect You**_

_Shire Folk_


End file.
